Somber
by Jiko Teima
Summary: After one stormy night Dib is silent, Zim is gone, and Gaz wants to know just what's going on. [Personally, I think that's a horrible summary XD][Chapter 13 is up][FINISHED]
1. Storm

Disclaimer: Ah, the traditional once-per-story disclaimer. I do not and never have owned Invader Zim. It belongs to the amazing Jhonen Vasquez, whom I am not. Thank you. : )

Only my stupid brother would pick the rainiest night to go alien hunting. He always does weird stuff like that.

It was raining so hard that it sounded like it would break through the roof and rain down over our heads. I glanced up from my GameSlave2 just long enough to see Dib hang a camera around his neck.

" You're going out _now_?" I asked, listening more to the pouring rain than to him.

" Of course! This is the perfect defense against ZIM!" He had spoken eccentrically, flailing his arms everywhere, " He can't stand water you know. It must be like some kind of poison to him…"

He continued on, but I had stopped caring long before. I didn't see why he bothered trying to stop Zim everyday. It was blatantly obvious that he was an alien and it was obvious he was trying to take over the earth…but Zim was a moron. He would never actually be able conquer Earth, because he would always screw it up somehow.

My stupid brother always insisted on stopping him though. Moron.

After he realized I had stopped listening, he stopped speaking. As hard as it must have been for him, he went on getting ready in silence and I went on slaying vampire piggies on the couch.

Most people looking at us must think that it's so sad that we are the way we are. That we can barely stand each other and that our dad is never around. That Dib is insane and I never let anyone talk to me. I hear people say that I would be more popular if I was more sociable and hear them say Dib would be all right if he wasn't so crazy…but those people don't get it.

Even if we don't get along, we can still understand each other on some small level. I understand that Dib needs to go chase his aliens, even if they aren't competent enough to successfully enslave us and even if it means going out in a monstrous storm. He understands that I need my video games, or else I may spontaneously combust. We both know, of course, that our dad needs to lock himself in his labs day and night, or else he won't be able to cope. He sees too much of mom in us I guess, and can't stand to be near us.

That's where this all starts really. Mom died and took everything to hell with her. I suppose we were a normal, happy family before that. It happened so long ago that I was too young to remember. Dib remembers. He refuses to talk about it though.

" Well, I'll see you later Gaz!" He beamed as he headed out the door, " I've got an alien to catch."

" Idiot." I called out to him, my usual goodbye.

I turned back to my video games, all alone in this big empty house. I suppose the weird thing about it is that I'm used to it by now. I could sit there for hours with my GameSlave 2, not noticing the world pass me by. It wouldn't bother me in the least.

Hours did pass by, many hours since Dib had gone to fight Zim. The storm had gotten incredibly worse. The wind howled outside as the lightening seemed to strike all the way to the moon. The thunderous crashes were almost a constant. It was amazing that we hadn't lost power yet.

The very small, sisterly part of me wondered if Dib would be back soon. The loud thunder seemed to almost answer my question. Dib wouldn't stop for something like this. Now maybe if there was a tornado outside…

Then again, their fight really couldn't have lasted this long, could it? It had been almost five hours since he had left and since Zim can't be out in the rain. They couldn't possibly still be fighting.

Swiftly, I shut off my GameSlave 2 vowing to kill him when I found him for making me worry. I was just about to head out after my stupid brother when the door swung open wide. I could see the rain coming down in sheets, but no one came inside.

I wasn't scared of course. I was far scarier than anything that would ever try to threaten me. Though it did successfully make me stop in my tracks.

Then I saw him. Dib had fallen over into the bush I suppose, and used the doorframe to pull himself out. His eyes were wide and he was breathing hard. His clothes were torn so much that they hung limp off his bones. There was also a strange red mark around his neck that had begun to bleed a bit, as though someone choked him with his camera and then ran off with it. Also, his clothes had somehow been painted an ugly dark red. There were cuts on his face and his hair was matted down from both rain and blood.

That wasn't even what bothered me he most. The look on his face…I'd never seen it on him before. His eyes were saucers and all of the color in his face had washed off in the rain. The floor refused to hold him and he had to use the doorframe for support. His free hand covered his mouth, as though he was going to gag.

" …Dib?" I called out weakly, hoping desperately that somehow this wasn't my brother or that it was some sort of prank of his.

Dib didn't say anything. His head turned slowly in my direction. It finally occurred to me just what was wrong with my brother (well…more so than usual anyway).

Dib was scared.

Something had really scared the shit out of him.

Somehow, that thought scared me just a little too. Zim wouldn't have been able to scare him like that. There must have been something else that shook him this badly. It wasn't just some sort of silly phobia-type thing either. The look on Dib's face was one of pure terror, as though he had been brought to the depths of hell and back and was wishing he weren't alive to tell the tale.

" Dib…what happened?" I asked softly, hoping it was no big deal…that he would be okay.

Again, I was monked by him. He carefully made his way across the room, using the wall to steady himself. A trail of blood and water paraded behind him, staining the rug.

This wasn't right…Dib could never keep his mouth shut normally. He would usually have told me every detail, whether I wanted to hear it or not. It wasn't like him to be silent. This wasn't like him at all. There was something really wrong here.

Dib didn't ask for my help, nor did I offer it. I think it would have scared him more if I did. That was just the way we were, I guess.

Dib limped up the stairs and his blood rolled down the guardrail gracefully, spinning and swirling with water. It was painfully obvious that something had killed him. Something inside him had died that night and I wasn't entirely sure if I was okay with that.

I decided to let him sleep it off. Maybe I could force him to tell me in the morning. For now though, I thought that sleep might do me some good as well. I arose to shut the door, but stared outside at the fierce winds.

There was something out there that hurt Dib. It wasn't just anything though. It must have been something truly horrifying to make him react like that. Whatever it was though…it was still out there in that storm. I wondered if I should go and chase it and make it pay for everything it did to Dib with its life.

Soon though, I shut the door. Scaling the stairs and avoiding the blood, I retreated to my room. I kept telling myself I would do something in the morning.

That Dib would be all right in the morning.

I had a feeling I was wrong though.

Believe it or not, I was.

(A/N: Geez, barely two weeks after I finished my last story and I'm already writing another. XD. So hello everyone and welcome to Somber! How do you like it so far? Please R&R and the next chapter will be up very soon. : ) )


	2. Solitude

Only three hours later, it was time to get up for school. Somehow I had managed to force myself to sleep, but it felt like I'd only been asleep for a few minutes when that irritating alarm clock rang.

I was surprised at first that Dib wasn't up and about already. Usually he would be running around obsessing over one thing or another, waking me up before my alarm clock could.

Shuffling down the hallway in a sleepy haze, I wondered why he wasn't up yet. School started in under an hour after all.

I opened his door, ready to yell at him to get up. When I saw him though, the events of last night came back to me almost immediately.

Dib was hugging his knees to his chest, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. His blood stained the sheets and I could tell he hadn't even tried to fall asleep. He hadn't tried to do anything at all.

" …Dib?" I called out to him from the doorway.

Dib didn't seem to react at all. No words or motion came from him. He just continued to stare at the wall in front of him.

" Dib, we have school today you know." I informed him, because he probably didn't remember, " Get ready."

Again, I was ignored. That irritated me more than anything else. I slammed the door shut, but I remained where I was. A line had been severed with that slam and it made me immediately regret it. I tried to shrug off that feeling as best as I could as I made my way down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Apparently Dad hadn't come home. Otherwise he would have been angry that Dib bled all over the place. I doubt if he would have cared that Dib was hurt. After all, Dib was the family disappointment.

It was a harsh statement, but it was true. Dad expected Dib to idolize him like the rest of the world. Dad expected him to follow in his footsteps and continue his legacy. I guess he was disappointed when it finally clicked that Dib wanted no part of it.

I could do it if I wanted to, but I know it wouldn't be the same anyway. I think it's some kind of father and older son thing. It would mean more if Dib followed in his footsteps than it would if I did.

Heh. It's so old-fashioned.

I used the last of the milk on my bowl of Cocoa Splodies, because I knew that Dib wouldn't care in the state he was in. Vaguely, I wondered if Dib would drag his butt out of bed to go to school.

It was an odd feeling, having the entire house be silent even when I knew Dib was home. Something wasn't right about that, but there wasn't exactly anything I could do about it.

After another half an hour of getting ready, I grabbed my backpack by the door and called up to Dib's room one last time.

" Dib, I'm going to school now with or without you!" I shouted, purposely trying to sound annoyed.

To my surprise though, he was at the top of the stairs, slowly making his way down. He had cleaned himself up as much as possible and changed his bloody torn clothes. His hair was back in its usual spike, but it seemed to droop down just slightly.

Despite this, he didn't seem any different than he did last night. His eyes still held that blank look, as though he were blind to the world around him. His movements were still twitchy and awkward. One hand gripped the sticky banister and two feet carefully stepped in time.

On any normal day, I would have left, slamming the door in his face for not going fast enough. Today though, I decided that I could wait for him. Just this once.

With a shaky hand, he grabbed his backpack and stared up at me. I assumed that meant he was ready to go and I held open the door for him. He looked so solemn, rising up. His eyes lowered a little to meet mine, but they still held that blank look that had taken over my brother.

In slow even steps, he led me out the door and as the door closed there was no one there to say goodbye to us. Dib's hands grasped his backpack straps so tight that the color rushed away from his knuckles. His eyes were fixed on the ground.

The silence between us was eerie. It was almost a ritual that on the way to and from school, Dib would try to have one-sided conversations with me. They were only one-sided because I would refuse to speak to him. I was supposed to be the silent one, not him.

Still, he didn't say a word on our walk to skool. Even walking inside, with people pointing and laughing at the "crazy UFO kid", there was no reaction from him. I knew he had heard though. He always heard them, no matter how softly it was spoken. I never understood why he took it so seriously. After all, they were just stupid people. Each word seemed to stab him harder and harder, even if he wasn't able to show it.

If it didn't stop, one of these days they would kill him. Though it's funny saying that, as he seemed dead inside already.

Dib shouldn't have gone to school that day. I could see it in his eyes that this was the last place he needed to be. He needed to be at home, resting his wounds and his big head. Unfortionately, we were already at skool

I would be the last person he would hear _that_ from though.

We parted ways in the greasy hallway, him heading for his class and me heading for mine. I hated my class with a burning passion hotter than ten suns. Especially the way Mr. Elliot wanted to bond with each of his students. I wanted simply to _bond_ his neck in half. The mental image made me chuckle softly as I entered Mr. Elliot's classroom.

I'm not sure how I managed to suffer through his 'feel-good' torments everyday of that year, but that particular day he grated on my nerves more than usual. Even his voice seemed to annoy me that day. Granted, he had an annoying voice everyday, but that's not the point. I couldn't be more grateful for the lunch bell.

Since my classroom was closer, I arrived at the cafeteria long before Dib did. I was always finished long before him too, since I didn't need to wait in line with my filthy classmates to buy lunch.

I watched from my seat as Dib entered the room. The traditional paper airplanes and spitballs bombed my brother as he made his way to the lunch line, where he'd get the most disgusting piece of meat the school had to offer. He never complained about this though. He was trying to save the world, remember?

Maybe deep down he was hoping that if he saved the world, people would love and adore him. They would cheer him on and he wouldn't be "that crazy UFO kid" anymore. Hell, maybe even Dad would be proud. I think that's how Dib wanted things to be, but I never said anything to him about it. There wasn't really any reason to.

Today though, there was no hope in his eyes as he crossed the room, no reaction to the filthy meat, and the harsh cruel laughter of his peers seemed to pass straight through him. It was as though his body was running on autopilot while his mind remained locked away.

No one could see what was wrong with him, no one but me anyway. They all just laughed and laughed, waiting for that saddened look when Dib's dreams were crushed for the millionth time. They would push him closer and closer to the edge, waiting for him to break down into tears of sorrow or fists of rage. It would never come though. Not today.

The walking shell that was Dib sat down next to me and silently swirled his meat around in the Styrofoam tray. This stranger didn't seem to notice my presence at all.

Something else was different about today though, besides the fact that Dib was acting stranger than usual. It didn't dawn on me until I glanced around the cafeteria what it was.

Zim wasn't in school today.

The last time Zim had been absent, Dib refused to leave me alone about it. He insisted Zim was up to something and must be stopped. As though I would do something to help him. As though I'd care.

Today though, he didn't seem to care about Zim. He didn't seem to care about anything. He was moving into my territory now.

I decided to try and spark up some conversation. It couldn't hurt, right?

" So…" I started slowly, " Where's Zim today?"

Bad idea. Dib's face paled considerably, as though he were remembering something he'd rather forget. I could tell he had tensed, as though I had attacked him somehow. His plastic spork scratched at the tray, trying to dig through to the table. Dib still didn't say a word to me.

This had to do with Zim. It had to. What explanation was there at this point?

If I found out that Zim had done something that permanently damaged my brother's brain, he would be dead piggy meat. Dad would insist he be carted away in white, and it would be all Zim's fault for tearing the only person who ever pretended to care about me away. That could **not** happen.

I decided then and there that I had a stop to make after school, at a certain ugly green house.

(A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! Ooo…you all have really good theories, but we'll have to wait and see what happens…: ) Please R&R and the next chapter will be up very soon.)


	3. Servant

Zim's house was probably the ugliest house I had ever seen in my entire life. It was a sickly sea green and it was tinier than the homes around it. Pink flamingos sprouted from the ground like flowers and even the security gnomes looked out of place. It really stood out from the rest and only brought more attention to Zim's strangeness.

Bumper stickers flashed by my head as I walked along his fence. They were desperate cries of "I love Earth!" and the like. It was really pathetic how Zim tried to fit in. What was even more pathetic was that no one ever noticed. Or maybe they did, like me, and just didn't care.

I almost felt bad leaving Dib at skool…almost. Even if he _was_ acting strange, he was perfectly capable of walking home on his own. He'd done it many times before.

Turning to walk up to the door I stopped in my tracks. The windows were broken and glass was scattered all over the grass. It looked like something had crashed through the door, as it was hanging on the frame, but only by one hinge. Several of the security gnomes had fallen over, and hadn't even lit up when I entered the yard.

Oh…and there was the giant hole in the ceiling.

This didn't stop me for very long. Dib and Zim probably did this themselves fighting last night. Finally reaching the door, I shoved it open, knocking it off of its last hinge.

Peering around, I noticed that the house looked more like it was completely ransacked than that two people had fought there. Furniture was overturned and pictures had been thrown off of the walls. In the kitchen plates had been thrown and shattered and the doors had been completely ripped off of the cupboards.

All of the lights were burnt out, leaving me bathed in darkness. It didn't make me uneasy in the least. No, the only thing that did that was the fact that no one was there. The ugly little house was completely devoid of life.

There was defiantly something wrong with this picture.

There was a very faint sound though. I hadn't noticed it when I first arrived, but it was definitely there. A faint whimper was coming from a dark corner of the living room. I walked past the TV (which now had a large hole in it) to investigate the matter.

In the darkness I could see a small figure. At first, I had no idea what it was. I very soon realized that it was Zim's pet robot thing.

It seemed to be huddled in the corner, almost as though it were crying. It was hunched over something and was making quiet whimpering sounds.

I nearly jumped when I head Zim's voice. At least, until I noticed the static and realized it was a recording. It was probably his little robot's doing.

" _GIR…I thought I told you not to let anyone in the house?_"

" Aw…but he looked nice!" The little robot…GIR…whimpered.

GIR was holding something. I tried to peer around him, but all I saw was what looked some of like a green bumblebee with a really big head.

" GIR, HOW can we take over Earth if you keep allowing these filthy humans_ to enter our base UNDECTED?"_ GIR moved his little toy around, as though it was yelling at him.

" Aw, I'm sorry master…I know what'll cheer you up!" GIR's voice shook, though he was trying very hard to sound happy, " How about some tacos?"

" _No GIR. I will not have you jeopardize the mission AGAIN with tacos."_

" Aw…please?"

" _NO GIR, I-_"

The recording cut off as GIR jumped off of the floor. He spun around gracefully and stared at me with big red eyes. He tilted his head to one side in a quick jerked motion.

" You're the big head boy's sister." He analyzed.

I didn't say anything. It was pretty surprising that he not only recognized me, but also remembered I was Dib's sister. I hadn't expected him to.

His eyes faded back to blue and they wobbled, like he was about to cry. He held out his toy to me, a toy of Zim with far too much stuffing in the head.

" Do you know what happened to my master?" GIR asked, sobbing the whole way, " There were big scary noises and then my master was gone. Did the big head boy take him away?"

I shook my head. Dib had only come home with his wounds.

" I saw'd him." GIR told me before I could ask, " I was hidin' in the garbage hole and when I came out he was just standin' there. And then he ran'd away and Master was gone too."

" …Do you know what happened GIR?" I asked carefully, " Why is the house like this?"

" There were BIG scary noises and Master made me go in the garbage." GIR thought hard, " They were both yellin' and screamin' a lot…and then it stopped."

So the robot didn't actually see anything. It seemed like I'd hit a dead end.

" That was…informative." I lied.

GIR beamed; it seemed to make him feel a little better. There was my good deed for the year.

I turned to head back out the way I'd come in, seeing as I wouldn't find any valuable information there. GIR didn't follow or say goodbye. He just stood and watched me go with glowing blue eyes, as though I were the last person he would ever see.

This whole situation was very weird. Zim was gone and my brother wasn't talking. Of course, I couldn't get any truly useful information from Zim's robot…but that didn't surprise me at all.

The only real clue I had was the damage at Zim's house. What could have caused that though? I had no idea…it made me wonder if I should have listened to Dib a little more when he was actually using his voice.

The skool was on my route home. I wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't turned to glance that way.

Dib was sitting on the steps. Alone.

I was confused. He should have been home by now. As far as I knew, he didn't have detention. There wasn't really any other reason for him to stay after skool.

…Unless maybe he was waiting for me? That didn't seem quite right though.

" What are you stupid doing here, you idiot?" I called out to him, thinking that I might somehow get an answer this time.

He rose when he heard me. Careful even steps down the walkway lead him to me. He tried to look me in the eye but I refused. I couldn't do it, not while he was like this. His eyes were so empty and emotionless like this. So I did the only thing I could do. I headed home, not caring whether he followed or not.

…I couldn't help but look behind me. Just once.

Dib did follow me. Sure, it was in autopilot-even steps, but he was following. His eyes appeared to be glued to his shoes as they moved him foreword. It was extremely hard to watch him like this.

Hopefully this wouldn't be permanent.

We swung open the door to our house, and it was just as I had known it would be. Empty.

I thought I saw something in Dib in that moment. Even if it was just a small twinge of emotion…it was better than nothing.

It was that tiny look he got whenever he came home to an empty house, or when kids threw things at him. It was that look where someone came and stepped on his hopes, crushing them little by little, grinding their smelly feet into his dreams.

The look was gone within seconds though. Dib shuffled his feet across the floor, not noticing that the blood from his wounds still wove in the carpet. Somehow, he managed to slowly pull himself up the stairs, though it looked like each step pained him more than the last.

I sighed. I didn't want to be the one who had to fix this, but it looked like I was going to have to. Otherwise things would never be normal again.

(A/N: Again, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! Unfortunately though, I'm going to be on vacation for the next week with my family. I'll definitely be back sometime after next Friday though. Please R&R and I'll update as soon as possible. : ) )


	4. Saffron

I made Dib stay home from school the next day. Infact, I made him stay home for the next week. Of course, he didn't question my motives.

No one seemed to notice at skool when he didn't show up. I thought they might have at least complained about how they had no one to pick on that day. After all, Zim was gone too.

They were all stupid. Every last one of them.

We got a call from Dad on the third day. Apparently, it was a going to be a very busy few weeks at the labs and he would need to stay there. Told us all of the unimportant things, like where the money was and to make sure we got at least _some _groceries (usually me and Dib spend all of the money on pizza and cereal. Neither of us can cook very well). Of course, he hung up before he could say anything _really_ important.

Yeah…he's pretty stupid too.

I tried to get home as fast as possible from skool during that week, just to make sure Dib didn't go through some horrible breakdown. I didn't feel like having to deal with trying to put him in a straight jacket.

On Friday I found Dib doing the first semi-productive thing he had done since he started acting like this. He was sprawled out on the couch, doing something that I didn't recognize until I stepped closer.

He was coloring.

…He was coloring with MY crayons.

I stormed closer, demanding to know why he went into my room and stole my crayons. My feet wouldn't step any further once I saw his creations.

The pictures…they looked like a first grader had drawn them. Dib could draw fairly better than that, as I had seen from his blueprints. These looked more like scribbles.

He had completed several already. The first was a picture of a star…with metal bars on it. And there was a little green thing inside that I assumed was Zim. It was sitting in a scribbled black space.

The next one had a bunch of green people, maybe more of Zim's race. One was glaring angrily and there were two taller ones looking on curiously. The angry one looked sort of like Zim, but I didn't recognize the others. There was a border around the edge, like it was some kind of photograph.

The last finished product really yanked at me for several minutes. My eyes wouldn't tear away.

It was distorted and disproportionate, just as all of the other pictures had been. There was a woman standing in the middle of the feeble paper, arms stretching out longer and wider than humanly possible. Her hands were outstretched and she was smiling at the world. The eyes were shadowed away and the hair hung at odd angles. Purple with streaks of black framed her soft face and she was surrounded by colors, almost a child's dream world.

I knew this woman. I knew her well. Her photo was on the fridge with that same hair and smile. She was sitting with me in a chair and Dib stood next to us in mock salute. Even I looked kinda happy.

" Dib…" I said softly, picking up the picture, " This…this is Mom isn't it?"

Dib didn't answer me, but I wasn't sure whether he just didn't hear me or he refused to answer. He seemed busy on his most recent 'masterpiece' as he scribbled, wearing my crayons thin.

My curiosity got the better of me I suppose, and I peered around my brother's abnormally large head and watched him. His motions were very jerked and child-like, which probably explained the lack of skill.

It was a very crude and primitive UFO. The kind that sort of resembled a sombrero on stilts. I thought so anyway. It was flying through space where even though it was dark, there were bright colors swirling in certain areas. It held a certain indescribable beauty. I had a feeling Dib's toddler-like hands couldn't do it justice.

I'm sure he's told me about space before. He's had to fly up there more than once to fight off Zim. I had never really listened though. I guess that old saying is right. The one that says you never really miss something until it's gone? Yeah…it's right all right.

I wondered to myself if he'd been there before. So I asked him.

He seemed very startled once he fully realized I was standing there watching him color. His hands scrambled, trying to hide his precious creations.

I wondered why. Did he know they weren't nearly as good as usual? Was he just embarrassed? Would he rather I wasn't there?

Glancing his way, I noticed he truly had been getting better. His eyes were wide in panic as he scrambled for the crayons, breaking some of them in the process. That seemed to upset him even more.

Ah. That was it. He'd been caught with my crayons.

I chuckled as he tried to climb over the top of the couch to get way and pulled him back down by his jacket. Crayons soared everywhere and Dib held a confused expression.

Of course he did. I wasn't exactly behaving the way I normally would.

" You can play with my crayons." I said harshly, trying to cover up my previous kindness, " Just don't break anymore of them all right?"

Dib still seemed confused for a moment or so, as he processed the thought. Then he smiled, looking happy for the first time in what seemed like ages.

For some reason, that made me intensely happy.

So Dib went back to his coloring and I sat next to him on the couch, looking on. When he had finished his drawing, he held it up for me to see.

It was just as I had seen before, except now there was more black space and the spaceship was grey and blue. It wasn't exactly Picasso, but then again I always hated Picasso.

I waved it off with a smile, knowing he would be happy with that rarity, and picked up one of his other drawings. It was the one with Zim sitting inside the star-prison.

" Is this Zim?" I asked Dib, trying to make him talk to me.

Dib peered over my shoulder to see what picture I was looking at, so I think he understood me. He nodded, shocking me. It was the closet he had ever come to talking in the past few days.

I would have hugged him…that is, if I didn't hate hugs so much.

" So…how come he's in the star?" I prodded, even though he wouldn't be able to answer me.

He opened his mouth, like he wanted to speak. Nothing seemed to come out though, and for the first time, he seemed annoyed at his lack of speech. His arms flailed about, as they usually did when he was talking, but the words wouldn't follow. He slumped down on the couch in defeat.

So I decided to push it just a little further.

" It looks like a prison." I stated.

Dib nodded again. I was on the right track anyway.

I had a feeling that it wasn't actually a star, but a planet. After all, stars are supposed to be giant fireballs, right? Nothing could survive on one.

I remembered the gaping hole in Zim's ceiling and something clicked.

" …Is that where Zim is now?" I asked, " Did he get taken there?"

Dib nodded vigorously, happy that I understood.

I paused and thought about that for a minute or so. So Zim was being held on another planet…why would Dib care? He was gone now. No more taking over Earth.

There had to be more to it than that. If there wasn't, Dib was going to die like this.

I picked up the next picture, the one with Zim and the other two aliens. This one was more confusing. Dib had made it look like some kind of photograph, with the border and all. So I asked him about it.

Dib shook his head no and did something I was going to kill him for.

He grabbed my GameSlave 2 off the table.

" HEY! Who said you could touch that?" I shouted at him, wanting him to put it down immediately.

Dib ignored me and turned it on, after a moment or so of trying to remember how. The game music started and the colors glowed off the screen. I wanted to wring his neck. My GameSlave 2 was a sacred thing and no one else could touch it.

Instead of playing it though, as I thought he would, he shoved it under my nose. I pulled it back so I could see in the screen and I wondered what he meant by _that_. Vampire piggies danced around the start menu as my reflection loomed over them.

Wait…reflection?

That was right…Zim had really large computer screens in his house. I think Dib said they were for transmissions back to his home planet, but again I never really cared before now. Zim must have made contact with others while Dib was there.

I shut off my GameSlave 2 and turned to Dib. His picture was still clenched in my hand.

" That's a screen, right?" I said, trying to make it as simple as possible, " And those are other aliens in the back there?"

He nodded again, unable to do much more than that. I put that drawing aside and tore the newest out his hands. I didn't have to look at that one for more that two seconds to figure out what it meant.

" You…want to look for him." I realized, turning to Dib.

At first he began to nod…and then this look flashed in his eyes, like he remembered something he tried really hard to forget. He hugged his knees and tried to sink back into the couch, shaking his head the whole time.

" Dib, what's wrong with you?" I asked harsher than I really should have.

In my moment of weakness, he snatched the picture back and leaped off the couch. In hasty movements, he grabbed the rest of his pictures and ran away up the stairs and out of sight.

I was left alone with my GameSlave 2 and my crayons.

…Now where had I seen this picture before?

(A/N: Thanks for all of the excellent reviews! This one took a little longer to get up than I had originally planned…hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, so please R&R. : ) )


	5. Sanity

There's always a certain loneliness in this house. It echoes off the walls and stretches from the attic to Dad's basement lab and everywhere in between. It would drive most normal people insane. However, I'm not exactly what most people call "normal".

While it wasn't enough to drive me mad, it was _extremely_ irritating. Dib hadn't come out of his room all weekend, except when I dragged him downstairs by his ear to eat something. Even so, he always went straight back up.

I had begun to slowly form a picture in my mind of what happened. It was more like an unfinished puzzle though, and many pieces were missing. From what I gathered, Zim had been taken away to another planet for one reason or another. Sometime before that, Dib must have seen him sending or receiving a message. Zim's house was torn apart, which meant he had put up a fight before going wherever it was he was sent. Of course, there were still many things left unsaid.

Pulling a soda out of the fridge, I wondered why I cared so much about it. After all, Dib could solve his own problems, right? Besides, why did it matter that Zim was gone? All that really did was make Dib's life easier.

Yeah…that was right. Dib was the only one who saw what happened that night. He could have easily taken credit for Zim's demise.

I wondered why he didn't. It was a thought that was easily shrugged off though. It wasn't my problem if Dib wanted to make things harder for himself.

He could never make up his mind either. Even though he was apparently upset over…what ever it was that happened to Zim, he had freaked out over the thought of finding a way to help him. That fright had returned to his haunted eyes and he had run away.

Dib had been patching his mind back together little by little, but somehow that idea cracked him, it made him remember something he shouldn't have. It sent him soaring back several steps and into his silent spiral once again. He was doing so well too…

It got annoying trying to help him when he couldn't help himself. I had no idea what I was supposed to do for him, or what exactly it was that he wanted from my company. Then again, I've never known that.

He always hung around me, even when his brain was working the way it should. It got really annoying sometimes, especially when he rambled. Several times I told him to go away, but he never listened until I made threats upon his mortal soul.

It was strange. I had gotten everything I thought I wanted from him, but I wasn't satisfied. He was quiet, he was leaving me alone…but why wasn't I happy?

After a large swig of soda I sighed. Why did I feel so bad about this? It's not like there was anything I could do for him. He would have to figure this one out on his own.

Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye that could have very well been the answer to my problems and his.

The door to the garage was open all the way. It had probably been that way for the past week, but I hadn't taken the time to notice it before. Within the garage though, bathed in darkness, was a spaceship. It was Dib's spaceship.

I had completely forgotten about it. Moving into the garage with my soda, I examined the vessel. It was small and blue and the metal was really smooth and reflective. The interior was so small it looked like it was only meant for one person and maybe a small child. It would have to do though.

After only a few moments, I disovered how to open the cockpit. As I made my attempt to climb in though, the ship bucked and kicked and shook me off. I landed roughly on the cement floor, my soda spilling nearby. As anyone could guess, I was throughly annoyed by this.

" Intruder alert!" Dib's voice echoed mechanically among sirens, shutting the cockpit once more, " Get outta here you filthy ALIEN!"

…I was going to _kill_ Dib once this was all over.

I stood up and brushed myself off, trying hard to calm myself. If this thing wasn't going to respond to me, then it would probably respond to Dib. So I did the only thing I could really do in my situation. I went to go get him.

" Dib!" I called out loudly as I scaled the stairs, " Get your stuff, we're going into space!"

As I expected, he gave me no answer. I carefully opened the door and peered inside. I was greeted by darkness and posters of aliens and Bigfoot and any other paranormal creature imaginable. Dib however, was sitting on his bed beneath the dark sheets. It was a pitiful disguise, but in his current state of mind he probably didn't have anything better.

Even in his absence he had managed to annoy me to no end that day. I had no sympathy for him as I tore away his defenses. All it revealed though, was a scared little boy with his knees to his chest and his arms over his head, as though I'd hurt him somehow.

" Dib, since I'm obviously not going to get any answers from you, I'm going to go find Zim." I said, my hands resting on my hips casually, " Maybe he'll be able to tell me what happened that night."

Instead of the look of disgust I was expecting from him, he gave me a face full of terror and urgency. In seconds I was yanked closer to the bed. His cold hand was wrapped tightly around my arm. What really caught my attention though, was his voice.

" NO!" He screamed at me, louder than I've ever heard him before.

Perhaps he was trying to make up for the past week?

I remember I stared for what felt like the longest time. He had finally spoken to me. My eyes were wide in shock, surprise and happiness. I was so overjoyed, I almost could have cried...almost anyway.

Dib didn't look nearly as happy as I felt though. Infact, he seemed to be a total mess. He was trying to hug his knees with only one hand and it wasn't working out very well. I noticed his breathing was a little on the harsher side. I could feel my rare smile fade away once again.

" Don't…" He whispered softly, all of his previous energy gone.

His hands were shaky and his fingers slipped away from me. That let him hug his knees tighter and he rested his forehead on them. I could see him continue to shake and he had begun to silently cry.

This probably should have made me feel bad. It should have made me feel sorry for him, feel sympathetic for him…but it didn't.

" Dib, what the hell am I supposed to do for you then?" I shouted at him, my arms flailing about as his usually did, " I barely even know what's going on! How can I possibly help you out of this? I swear Dib, if this is another one of those 'Zim's taking over the world' things I am gonna…"

My thought died on my tongue. Dib was laughing at me. It wasn't a soft happy laughter though…this laugh was harsh and loud and cruel. It was the sort of laugh that came from someone who witnessed a horrible tragedy when someone asked if they were okay.

It was the kind of laugh crazy people made.

This may have been the first and only time in our lives where I had been just a little scared of Dib. The roles were seemingly reversed for a change. It made me realize fully that this whole situation really…it really _was_ driving him crazy.

Everyone always said he was crazy. He wasn't though…not really…not like _this_.

Of course, as everything does, the laughter died down to a soft chuckle and then to silence. As had become usual, I was left with no explanations.

I decided very swiftly to change that subject.

" Look, I don't care if you come with me." I explained, " I just need you to come downstairs and open the cockpit. It won't let me in."

Dib shook his head vigorously in his knees and I was left in angry confusion.

" Well WHY NOT?" I shouted at him, knowing he couldn't answer me.

"They'll kill you."

I think I was shocked more by the fact that Dib had spoken again, no matter how softly, than what he said.

" What did you say?" I blinked, eyes pulled wider by confusion.

" They'll kill you." He said, his voice twitching, " They'll kill all of you."

He seemed so frightened, just by the words that came out of his mouth. His scars stood out vividly against his pale complexion.

" …Who will kill me Dib?" I asked, ignoring the fact that he seemed to think there was more than one person standing here, trying to reason with him.

" They will…" He spoke almost softer than I could hear, "They'll…they'll kill you all…everyone…everyone will die…"

I raised an eyebrow. What was he talking about?

" No hope…" he cried quietly, " …none. "

This was odd, even for my brother. I could barely understand his broken sentences and he seemed to be speaking of an apocalypse I'd never heard of. His words sent shivers down my spine though, since he really did sound like he'd finally lost it.

" Dib…" his name slipped out of my mouth somehow.

Dib's fist collided with the mattress suddenly, making me jump back in shock, and he began yelling through tears.

" YOU MEDDLE IN THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU FILTHY HUMAN!" He cried out so loud I thought our neighbors might hear him, " WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND, HUH? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN SAVE ANYONE? WELL YOU KNOW WHAT DIB? YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T SAVE ME DIB-BEAST! So…SO GO!"

Dib sobbed loudly into his sheets and I tried to absorb everything he had said. Was he talking to me? He had better not have been talking to me after I worried about him so much…

It was sort of different the way he spoke that time. He had called either me or himself a filthy human. That seemed more like something Zim would say to him. It made me wonder if Zim really had.

I did the only thing I could think to do at a time like this. I must admit, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do to someone losing their mind, but I did it anyway.

I slapped my dear brother square across the face.

His framed eyes met mine slowly. As if to ask why I'd done such a thing. As though he had to ask

" Get a grip." I said harshly, holding a threatening hand high, " I don't _care_ whether you can save anyone. I just need to you go open your spaceship so I can go get Zim…so _we_ can go get Zim."

This cheered him up a little. Only a little though.

" But…" He started softly, " Can't. …They'll come. …They'll…kill…"

There was something he wasn't telling me, or rather, couldn't tell me in proper sentances. It was a little irritating having to piece together his thoughts for him, but it was certainly better than nothing.

" No they won't." I said with a grin, " Not if we get them first."

Of course, I didn't know who "they" were, but if it would get him to shut up and come with me, then there was no problem. It seemed to work too. He followed me downstairs and through the kitchen and even into the garage.

He stopped at the garage door. I tunred around and faced him once again.

" Come on Dib." I said in mock annoyance, " We don't have all day."

Dib stayed in the doorway for a good five minutes or so. His eyes were deep in thought and his feet were planted to the ground. I could tell he didn't want to be here. He wanted to be back in his room, beneath the covers, hiding from his weakness.

" Dib." I said with a sigh, " You don't have to come with me. I can go by myself. I just need you to come over here and open the door."

He did. He walked over more gracefully than I had seen him move in the past week and flipped it open, crawling in before I could.

…I wonder why he wouldn't let me go alone?

(A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews you guys! : ) The pieces are slowly beginning to come together…Again, you guys all have really good guesses. Please R&R and I'll have the next chapter up soon!)


	6. Separation

Space is more boring than most people realize. They assume it is filled with fascinating aliens and planets and such. It takes absolutely forever to get anywhere though. We had only been out here for a few hours and the Earth still loomed behind us, almost daring us to turn back home.

Dib had taken the controls and carefully steered us through the black. His hands were twitchy, but still he pulled at knobs and levers with grace, as though it were some kind of procedure he'd memorized long ago. His eyes were locked in furious concentration and all I could do was sit and watch.

I knew that Dib was giving a tremendous mental effort to simply be here, but I still couldn't help but wish he'd go faster. Zim was already a week ahead of us and if we didn't go faster we'd never catch up. There wasn't much that I could do about it though.

All I really could do about it was sit and stare out the window at the empty spaces between the stars.

It hadn't occurred to me before then all of the problems with my plan. Zim could have been at just about any place in any direction, any distance from here. He wouldn't have been hovering just outside of the atmosphere, waiting for me to ask him what the hell was going on. He could have been anywhere. We could have been stuck up there for years.

I didn't want to be stuck up there for years.

Dib kept quiet as he smoothly piloted us through the black. I almost felt bad about dragging him along. There were so many buttons and knobs on the control panel though; I wouldn't have even been able to lift it off the ground by myself. Plus, I would probably go insane out here alone.

Something was bothering me though. Dib had said that if we looked for Zim…that "they" would kill me and everyone else. I had no idea who "they" was, but I knew that this wasn't like my brother. Dib would normally jump headfirst into danger, especially if it meant stopping Zim. A simple death threat wouldn't have stopped him.

There were still some things that were unclear about this whole situation, but other things were finally starting to come together. The more I got involved, the more I wondered if I really wanted to know.

Dib had to get back to normal though. I would make sure of it.

Even in this one week, he'd already improved. He'd even spoken, as hard as it was to believe and even if it wasn't coherent. He hasn't said a word since then though.

I think that after a little while he really did start trying. There were moments where it looked like he really wanted to say something to me, but the sounds seemed to be stuck in his throat, choking him until they killed him once again.

If Dad saw him now, he'd just assume Dib had gone off the deep end one and for all and throw him away completely. Dad only cares about his reputation. What would the other scientists say about him if they knew he had a crazy son? What did they say already?

It must be so hard for Dib to just be himself. Sometimes I wonder how he goes on everyday.

Again, it's one of those many things I'll never say to him. We may be close, but we're not _that_ close. It's none of my business, just like my life is none of his.

There was a faint beeping noise coming from the control panel. I glanced over, trying my best not to look very interested.

On the radar screen, there was a small dot. It was a dot that looked extremely insignificant in the scheme of things, but it was the first thing we'd found all day. Also, a small arrow pointed at it, with one of those funny Irken symbols.

I was thankful, but Dib didn't really look like he cared. He may have though. After all, he stared at that radar screen for an awfully long time. Blindly, he reached up for a small lever and yanked it as hard as he could.

We _soared_. I was thrown back against the wall awkwardly and the stars zoomed by us. Dib adjusted easily and worked the controls even more vigorously than before. There was a fierce fire in his eyes that wasn't there previously and hadn't been there for over a week.

I _was_ a little annoyed at him. He could have warned me before going into hyper drive.

It felt as though it would take only minutes to catch up now, but that wasn't the case. Even at light speed it was still several hours before we got any closer to the little dot of a ship. We still had a long trip ahead of us.

__

Great…

Whenever I tried to look out the window it gave me a headache. The stars were blurred and falling rapidly through the black. I had to force myself to keep my eyes in the cockpit and wait.

Wait.

Wait.

…It was an agonizingly long and silent wait.

I wished I had my GameSlave 2, or even my crayons. I wanted _something_ to do while I was stuck up here.

What I _should _have been doing though was planning. The two of us were heading into unknown danger and we had no idea what we would be in for. We really should have had at least _some_ plan of action, or at least a way to quickly get away if we ran into unspeakable horrors.

What can I say? We were stupid kids.

Several hours inched by and I felt like I was just going to wither away. We really hadn't planned ahead. We didn't have any food or water or anything at all.

None of this seemed to bother Dib, however in his current mindset he seemed to only be able to concentrate hard on one thing at a time. Personally, I was glad he didn't take his mind off of driving and crash us into a meteor.

The radar screen had been slowly beeping for hours now and I really wanted to smash it until only bits of wire remained. I held back that urge though, even as the beeping got faster and louder.

That dot that traveled along the screen had gotten considerably larger. I automatically assumed that it was a small planet, specifically the one where Zim was being held captive.

I was wrong, yet again.

Once we had _finally_ reached its location, we discovered that it wasn't a small planet. Actually, it was a just really big spaceship. Fake barred windows stared out at us. There were Irken symbols scrawled along the sides and it was a drab grey color. It must have been at least five times the size of the school, and probably more.

" Well," I said, trying to break the silence we'd created years ago, " This is it."

Dib didn't respond. With his twitchy hands he slowed our ship to a halt and began to stare out at Zim's prison. The radar bleeped loudly in the background, which only suited to magnify the quiet around us.

Without warning, Dib started the ship once more and slowly drove us around the side. He was careful to make sure that no one would notice our presence, even in the dark shadow of the mammoth spacecraft in front of us.

I was still having trouble believing that something so huge would be able to even move.

Dib made a sudden sharp turn and I was sent flying once again. Before the opportunity arose to yell at him for it, I glanced out into what I thought was deep space. It wasn't though. There was artificial light and a seemingly endless opening.

I barely felt us fly foreword as I stared out around us. Dib gracefully guided us into what looked like a cargo hold for their ships. It amazed me that he had been able to find it, even in the state he was in. I was certain I could have done it in a matter of minutes, but Dib wasn't in the best state of mind, making it even more impressive.

There were rows and rows of spacecraft of all shapes and colors and purposes. Some of them almost looked like they were too big to fit out the door, which shut itself on our way in.

That made me worry. Was it a way to keep air in or keep us locked inside?

I didn't have long to think though. Dib parked us near other ships similar to ours and popped open the windshield. His shaky hands pulled him up and out of our vessel. He stood looking absolutely terrified. There wasn't within my sight to be scared of though.

Flinging myself out and shutting the windshield behind me I turned to Dib. All I received from him however was a blank stare.

" Well?" I said impatiently, " You seemed to know the way in. Now where's Zim?"

Dib gazed around the room, staring at random places as though he were looking for him. I smacked my forehead. We'd just taken almost a twelve hour ride to God knows where and I didn't feel like putting up with this crap. Besides, he'd been fine the entire way here.

" We should split up." I said in a way that signified that it wasn't a suggestion but an order, " We'd probably find him faster."

Honestly, I just needed some space for a few minutes. Twelve hours of Dib, mentally stable or not was more than I could handle.

Dib shook his head violently when I finally dawned on him what I was saying. His cold fingers grabbed my hand and pulled hard. He didn't want me to go.

It was kinda cute in a little kid sort of way, but I'd never admit it.

" Dib, I'll be _fine_." I sighed.

As I pulled my arm away from him an unexplainable shiver shook through me; there was something wrong there. There was something bad happening. I ignored this feeling though and turned to leave.

" We'll meet back up here after, alright?" I said, taking just a small peek back at him.

His eyes were glued to the floor in uncertainty. His feet shuffled back and forth in repetitive motion and his arms crossed behind his back.

If he nodded or said "Okay," or just fell over in a bloody heap I didn't know.

I was already gone.

(A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews. I love everyone's ideas about what happened. One question that keeps coming up though is if this fic will turn ZADR. As much of a ZADR fan as I am, I'm going to have to say no on that one. I had originally planned out the story to be pairingless and it is probably going to stay that way. Since this story mainly focuses around Gaz and her feelings and thoughts, I think it wouldn't come out as good if I tried making them reveal their own feelings through her eyes. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, I'm just saying it strays away from the point of this story. ZADF is most definitely possible though. : ) Please R&R and the next chapter will be up hopefully sooner than this one was.)


	7. Sardonic

It hadn't taken me very long to get myself thoroughly lost in the depths of the greasy spaceship. I tried hard to not to let it bother me. Eventually I'd find my way back, even if I had to walk through the entire ship five times over.

The halls looked as though they hadn't been cleaned in years (which now that I think about it…they probably hadn't). The walls held suspicious dark stains that greeted me no matter which way I turned.

One turn led me somewhere particularly interesting though. I was met by rowdy noise and excitement. There were hundreds of rusty prison cells, each filled over capacity and each with every convict trying to stick their heads out of the bars. I even saw smaller captives get squashed as bigger ones shoved their way through.

Some of them were Irkens like Zim. Some were of varied other species of various colors and sizes. There didn't seem to be any humans though.

Their cries of joy filled the air as each one saw me. They begged me and pleaded me and some cried out happily.

" Help us! Oh please, please SAVE US!"

" You're our only hope! Please save us, Mistress!"

" Where's Zim?" I asked them coolly.

The room went silent. Any cheeriness that had been in this room of horror show freaks had evaporated into thin air. I knew they knew though. These captives knew where Zim was.

" WHERE is he?" I asked again, anger surging through me as my hands formed fists.

Finally, one meek, lanky blue alien spoke up. His red eyes were wide with fear and his three fingered hands gripped the bars tightly.

" You…you want to see _Zim_?" He said, hushed and quick.

" Yeah, you got a problem with that?" I raised an eyebrow.

Whispers slowly filled the room as the aliens spoke in hurried tones.

" She wants to see _Zim_?"

" Is she insane? He's a menace!"

" Menace, menace, menace…"

" He's a danger to everyone around him!"

" Yeah, he'd kill us all if he could!"

I raised an eyebrow again. These were not things that usually described Zim. Usually words like arrogant, stupid, and moron did the job nicely. It made me wonder if Zim's reason for being in that place was valid…and it made me wonder just what that reason was.

" Well?" I asked, growing impatient.

All went silent again. The blue alien who had spoken earlier slowly stuck a thin and weak arm through the bars and pointed further up the hallway.

" That way…" he croaked, " He's that way…"

I didn't bother to thank them as I turned and headed for the door at the end of the hall. Soft whispers trailed behind me, swirling around throughout the room. They were whispers of truth and lies and things in between. Whispers were always that way, especially on Earth.

It was only proof that nothing changes, no matter where you go in the universe.

You could have heard a pin drop when I opened the door. There was no looking back as I entered and shut the door behind me. Maybe they wept for me. Maybe they talked about how stupid I was. I didn't really care though.

The room was dark. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. What I could see…was a pair of glowing red eyes, staring back at me.

…Zim…

I scrambled around for a light switch. I needed to see him. I need to see his stupid green skin and his stupid antennae and his stupid everything.

I needed to make sure he was okay…for Dib's sake.

With a soft click of a dusty switch, light slowly faded into the room. It was still very dim, but Zim writhed and squinted like it was the sun.

His uniform was torn and coated in dark liquid that I could only assume was Irken blood. Battered and bruised, he raised his head slowly toward me. It was an awkward movement, as he'd been chained tightly to the wall by his wrists and ankles. He was raised high, so that he wouldn't even have a floor to stand on, thus he hung limp and tired.

Still, he strained himself and desperately tried to hang straight as he spoke to me.

" You're…" He started, coughing a bit, " You're Dib-sister."

" I _have_ a name you know." I said dangerously.

He ignored my comment. His eyes were wide in surprise. My guess was that he hadn't seen anyone in days.

" What are you doing here?" He asked, softly bewildered.

" I came here to save your sorry behind." I glared, " It's driving Dib crazy, which is getting really irritating."

Zim absentmindedly looked at the ceiling.

" I thought he was already crazy." He said.

" Yeah, but this time he's _really_ crazy." I looked away, so he wouldn't see my concern, " The only talking he does is in insane rambles about the apocalypse or something like that. Something scared him really bad I think."

I glared up at him, " _What_ did you do to him?"

" WHAT? I didn't do anything to that filthy _human_! I know not of this _apocalypse_ he speaks of!" He shouted angrily.

" He started acting like this after he came back from YOUR base." I yelled back at him with a thundering fury, " This HAS to be your fault. There's no other explanation."

Zim huffed in annoyance.

" It's his own fault." He muttered, " He shouldn't have gotten involved."

I paused at that for a moment.

" Involved in what, exactly?" I asked harshly, not sure if I should press on.

" Your pathetic _brother_ saw my…notice of leave…and decided that he was going to be a good guy and _help_ me." Zim sneered, " As though he could."

Ah. So Zim had been fired.

I glanced around at our surroundings, deciding I would hate to be fired by his superiors if this would be my fate.

" When someone was sent to…assist in my departure…I needed to double check some things in my cupboard exit portal." He continued through his pointy teeth, " Your brother tried to cover for me."

Since there was no cupboard exit portal from what I could remember of the house, I assumed he meant something along the lines of " They came to take me away and I was terrified and hid in my cupboards". It would certainly explain why they were smashed. Of course, Zim's pride would never allow him to admit this.

" My Tallest had acquired some assistance from a rather brutal alienoid, who attacked the Dib-human to get him to reveal my whereabouts." Zim explained, " He also said some things, but I couldn't quite hear them. I watched the whole thing though."

" Weren't you were double-checking things?" I asked, amused that he'd carelessly slipped up.

He ignored my comment of course.

" Finally, the monstrous vistor slammed your brother into the wall and requested that I accompany him to his ship, conveniently parked overhead." Zim spoke bitterly, each word forced out harder than the next.

My eyes guided me around the room once more. It looked more like an animal pen than a prison cell. Straw lay over the ground and the only real sign that it was used for something other than filthy creatures was the metal barred door between us and the chains hanging him above. There was something that wouldn't leave me. There was one thought I had in my head.

" But…why would they put you in here if you were just being fired?" I asked, " I mean…wouldn't they just send you off? Why would they keep you around?"

" I was NOT **FIRED**!" Zim screamed, " I don't even know the MEANING of those horrible words! True invaders are not so…**INCOMPETENT **asto be recalled from duty! I AM AN INVADER! I AM!"

Each word seemed to pierce Zim harder and harder as he tried to convince himself of his lies. His eyes were wide in sad horror, as though he knew the truth but was bound tight to his denial. He struggled in his chains, hands balling into hard fists.

Unfortunately for him, I didn't feel like being a therapist today. I had spotted the keys hanging on the door long ago. I took them and worked quickly to find the key that would open the door to Zim's chamber. It wasn't long before I shoved open the door and stared long and hard at the alien before me.

" Look Zim." I said, " I don't particularly care if you're an invader or not. I just need to get you out of here, find Dib, and go home."

With that I set out to unlock his chains on tiptoe, somehow expecting some kind of thank you. What I wasn't expecting though, was for Zim to grab me. He did though; he spun me around and shook me, his chains clattering gracefully against the wall.

" WHY on IRK did you leave him ALONE HERE?" He shouted at me, worry painted on his face.

I had never seen Zim like this. From what I had seen of him, he'd never shown concern for another creature before. What did it matter if Dib was gone? Didn't that just make things easier for him?

The serious look on his face said otherwise. He gripped so tightly on my shoulders that it began to hurt after only seconds. I would have pulled away sooner if it hadn't been for his next words.

" You STUPID HUMAN!" He said loudly, " He's going to DIE now because of your foolishness."

Somehow, everything froze with that statement. That serious look was locked on Zim's face forever and I felt a shiver race down my spine.

That was right…I had been so careless. Anything could be out there waiting for Dib. He…he knew too! He didn't want to split up, that's right! Dib had known this would happen!

This was bad…Dib was in danger. Before I knew it, I was out of Zim's hands and running down the hallway again. I was deaf to the moans and cries of the prisoners as I zoomed past them all. Vague footfalls along with the echoing cries of prisoners followed closely behind me behind me as I rounded corners and only got myself even more lost.

It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered unless Dib was all right. He had to be.

He just…_had_ to be…

(A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews everyone! Unfortunately, school starts for me on Monday. I'm going to try and keep the updates as regular as they have been, but don't be surprised if it becomes a whole week between some of the updates. School tends to eat my life like that…so please R&R and I will get the next chapter ASAP! : ) )


	8. Saccharine

The entire ship seemed to be nothing but an endless maze of dead ends and wrong turns. No matter which way I turned I always seemed to be running in the wrong direction. The halls were dimly lit and many were lined with animal cages, nightmares of creatures stretched their hands out toward me in pleading cries.

I had to ignore it though. It wasn't my problem. Dib was my problem. Finding Dib before he got himself killed was my problem.

My feet carried me faster than my mind could catch up. I was running on pure instinct and instinct wasn't getting me anywhere fast.

There were loud, clanging footfalls behind me but I didn't dare stop and turn around. Even if Dib was killed, there was no way I wasn't going to come out of this alive. It wasn't even a thought that was consciously on my mind.

The only thing I could think of was Dib.

There was no way he would be capable of defending himself if he was attacked by anything. Also…if the same beast that attacked him before struck again…there was no way to be sure he wouldn't breakdown completely.

The echoes of footfalls rang louder and louder in my ears but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. There was no way I would stop for something like this.

I could hear someone calling my name, but it was vague in the back of my mind. It was more of a soft whisper to me than a shout and it only suited as a distraction.

A hand clamped onto my shoulder and I gasped loudly as I was spun around. This was it…this was the end. It would be some guard ready to take me away and lock me in a chamber to wither and die. Who would Dib have to save him if I was gone?

Instead of a ray gun or a knife, I was met by Zim's finger. He shushed me harshly, a glare in his eyes.

" _Do you want the entire ship to hear you_?" He hissed, " _Honestly, _the_ incompetence _I have to put up with around here!"

I smacked his hand away, annoyed that he had startled me as much as he had. He could have been anyone. How was I supposed to know it was just some stupid, harmless alien?

All was quiet between us for several moments. The silence wove its way around me, strangling me and frustrating me further. Zim stood his ground and stared me down.

It was the first time I had truly seen him competently and completely in command. This was clearly his territory and not mine. I didn't even know where I was, but he had been able to track me down and stun me. He could have killed me if he wanted to.

I was the first to break the silence.

" So…" I began uncertain, " What is this place?"

" It's an Irken prison barge." He answered sharply, " It delivers prisoners to the planet Dirt, where they are left to whither and die."

" And what are you doing here?" I asked carefully.

Zim didn't answer me for a long time. He stared off to the dark end of the hall, refusing to look my way. When he finally turned my way, he looked rather uncomfortable.

" I…I mean…" Zim's voice quivered as he turned away again, " My Tallests decided that this was best. They claim that I am a danger to all other Invaders.

" They said my _reckless nature_," He spat those words as though they were venom, " would only wind up only ruining all that they had created. They said that I was a menace and a mistake. So I…I…"

" You…what?" I said, wondering what his problem was.

" I WAS **DECOMISSIONED**!" He shouted at me, ignoring his own warning, " Are you happy now, Earthstink?"

I had been right. Zim had been fired. He'd been stripped of his title and everything he had by his rulers. I was amazed that he still held any respect for them at all.

" Now come with me. There's no time for any more of your silly Earth questions." He hushed us both.

Quickly he led me down hall after hall, not stopping for even a second. His every moment was precise and he seemed to know his way around like the back of his hand.

After a little while, it looked as though he was just getting us even more lost. Besides, he was locked up in that cage for a week. How could he possibly know where Dib was? How could he be so sure of himself?

I didn't even begin to trust Zim until he saved me from capture. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me to the ceiling, letting my legs dangles toward the floor. His spider legs quickly latched on and just as I was about to kill him I saw an alien walk right where we had stood moments before waving a flashlight back and forth. My breath stopped short as the guard glanced around quick before walking away.

Zim gently lowered me to the floor, more concerned with keeping quiet and not getting caught than my safety. Wasting no time, he ran off and I tried to keep up as best as I could.

There was something different about Zim. I couldn't really put my finger on it either. Maybe it was in the way he held himself, or maybe it was the cold, scarred look in his eyes, but something had changed.

It was funny. I had never doubted myself once in my lifetime, but it seemed that this long stretch of hall was filled with regret and uncertainty. Danger and impending doom seemed almost definite at this point and it was too late to turn back. It was too late to run away to my GameSlave 2.

It was too late to do anything but follow Zim's lead.

Zim's boots clanked on the cold metal floor, icy sharp in my ears. He kept as far in the shadows as he could, and I followed.

I felt a shiver dance down my spine. Everything had become so unnerving and unbearable and nothing had even happened to me yet.

For the first time in my life I was really worried. I wasn't sure whether I was worried for myself of for Dib or for anything else really.

Sensing my distress, Zim paused. He didn't grace me with his face, but he did try to console me in his own twisted way.

" Pull yourself together Dib-sister." He said sharp and to the point, " You'll need to be on one toe in this place."

Despite his butchering of Earth terms, I understood what he meant. Acting frightened would have made me even more vulnerable than I already was. That point finally driven home, I calmed down. Besides, it probably wasn't any worse than any other danger Dib had gotten himself into. There probably wasn't anything to be afraid of.

" My name is Gaz." I glared, annoyed he had forgotten yet again.

Besides, it wasn't as though I was going to _thank_ him.

Of course my comment was ignored. I was easily led down what seemed like miles and miles of pure hallway. I could have asked Zim if he knew at all where he was leading us, but I knew he wouldn't answer.

Just when I had begun to get used to the dim light of the halls, Zim grabbed me once more and pulled me into darkness. I squirmed, trying to break from his grip, but he just slipped a hand over my mouth to keep me from making any noise. It took me a few struggling moments before I realized we were in a cramped storage closet. Boxes and cupboards took up any extra space there may have been left for us. There couldn't have been more than a few feet of floor space for each of us. Through slits in the door I could see a pack of guards storm by. My mouth was released when Zim seemed certain they were gone.

" That was close," He said, letting me go, " We should probably stop and take some…_precautions_."

I didn't like the way he had said that. It meant that something was going to happen to me. My suspicious glance was hidden by dark shadow.

Zim reached behind his back and into the small metal shell on his back. I had never really noticed it before now, which was odd since he had his back to me most of the day. The shell had little red lights that glowed softly in the darkness.

When he brought his hands back into view, he was holding something strange. It looked like a pair of clear red suction cups with orange glue dripping off of the edges.

" Every Invader is issued replacement caps for their ocular implants," Zim explained, inching closer to me.

It finally dawned on me that he was going to try and stick those massive things in my eyes. I jumped back toward the door, but found that there was no safe place to run to.

" You know…I've never tried these on a human before." He said thoughtfully, as though he were trying to console me somehow.

Before I could even blink, he had them in my eyes. I shut them tightly, wincing at the pain. Whatever it was that Zim had placed in them hurt. I wanted to rub my eyes; they itched so badly. After a few moments, the pain subsided enough for me to open my eyes once more.

My world had been tinted red. It was as though someone had taken a vat of blood and poured it over my eyes, or maybe they had wrapped the room in red cellophane. I wondered vaguely if this was what Zim saw everyday. It would certainly explain any morbidness in him.

" Of course they're not as efficient as the complete model," Zim continued his explanation, " But in order to use those we'd have to pull your eyeballs from your head."

Suddenly I was glad he hadn't tried that method.

Zim cocked his head to the side, staring long and hard at me and my new eyes. Sighing, he shook his head.

" Nope." He said, " There's still something missing…but what?"

He stared me up and down, eyes locked in concentration. I raised an eyebrow, wondering just what he was up to. I was so busy thinking about it that I didn't see the probes coming until they were only an inch from my face. My eyes widened and I tried to scramble away once again.

Zim wouldn't allow it. He grabbed me by the chin and pulled my head down. His other hand carefully held me against the door. I could hear the electricity sparking from the probe, but I couldn't see what was going on. Whatever he was doing though, it didn't seem to hurt.

Finally he let me drop to the floor roughly. He smirked proudly with his hands on his hips and laughed.

" There! PERFECT!" He said.

I slowly stood up, trying to figure out what he had done to me. My knees shock a little, almost afraid to find out. I brought my hand up in front of my face. At least he hadn't made my skin green. Slowly, my hand traveled up my head to the top. I paused when I didn't touch my bangs.

No way. He wouldn't have _dared_.

My hands reached two unfamiliar stalks that seemed to grow out of my head. Upon further inspection, I realized Zim had used his probes to spin my hair into antennae shaped stalks.

I could feel my anger rising as Zim rambled on.

" Yes, you are the perfect Irken!" He said, inflating his ego even more, " Now remember, Irkens are ruthless! You can be ruthless, can't you?"

In a sudden bout of energy and rage my hands were on the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air.

" You'll see just how _ruthless_ I can be if my hair doesn't go back the way it's supposed to," I sneered, meeting him eye to eye.

Even if I wasn't much of a prissy girly girl, I still liked my hair. I did NOT like having it forced into freakish spikes on my head however.

I dropped Zim to the ground hard and stepped away to keep myself from kicking the stuffing out of him. He sat up and rubbed his head.

" Ugh…an Irken if I ever saw one…" He groaned.

I had a feeling I looked about as Irken as a paper bag.

" Zim, this disguise isn't going to fool anyone." I sighed, " I'm still the wrong color and I still have ears and a nose. How am I going to explain that one, huh?"

" NONSENSE!" He shouted, " Now, over there is cupboard full of uniforms. Go pick out a package and get in costume. I am NOT dressing you, you filthy human."

" I wouldn't want you to." I spat back as I walked by.

Zim crossed his arms and turned away from me. Whether it was out of courtesy or whether it was that he didn't want to see my pathetic pale Earth body I didn't know. Either way I was grateful.

The uniform was a bit too loose on me and it smelled like mothballs. It must have been designed for a bigger or maybe an older Irken. My arms were swimming in the black gloves and the boots had to be tied on tightly or I would not be able to walk. My back was cold from the giant hole in the back of the uniform and the little shoulder triangles (which seemed quite useless for anything other than decoration) kept moving around and grew extremely frustrating.

I stepped back over to Zim, who feigned shock when I tapped his shoulder. He squinted in my direction.

" Oh it's just you." Zim said, " For a second I thought another Irken had found us!"

…Was he really that stupid? Judging by the look on his face, a wicked grin in my direction; he was just trying to mess with me. It wasn't a gesture I appreciated at that moment.

Switching roles I turned my back as he discarded his bloodied torn uniform in exchange for another. When he finally allowed me to turn around I noticed his uniform was too large as well. The shirt alone hung just over the tops of his boots. It didn't seem to bother Zim in the slightest however.

" Hm…now what could we use for a PAK?" He said distractedly, glancing around the room.

Zim moved away from me and began to rummage through box upon box until at last he pulled out one he like. It was oval in shape and it looked like the sort of box a fancy hat would be packaged in. I watched the probe poke it's way out of Zim's…PAK, did he call it? He held the box still while the probe burned markings into it, sparking blue electricity everywhere.

I felt my hand rise it's way up to my hair again and I wondered if the electricity was safe for it.

Finally, when Zim seemed satisfied with his creation, the probe was sucked back within Zim's PAK. He reached into another box and pulled out some grey duct tape and began furiously wrapping the box with it. When he was completely done, he held the box high above his head, a mark of victory.

Zim turned me around and before I could even try to escape he had begun to tape the box right onto my back, ignoring my new uniform entirely. When he finally shoved me away, I couldn't help but reach behind me to touch the newest piece of my costume.

" Ugh! What is with you humans and TOUCHING everything?" He grimaced, " Would you put your filthy hands in a vat of ACID if you had never seen it before?"

Unfortunately, I knew many people that would. Of course, I wasn't quite that moronic.

Despite his annoyance, he seemed satisfied with my disguise. I wasn't though. I knew my disguise was horrible and pitiful and that it would never work in a million years. I was just going to stand out more and it was even more likely that I would be caught.

During all of this, Zim's attitude had completely changed. He had gone from being cold and heartless to…well, the way he usually is. He had reverted to his normal stupid self and there was something in him that had been missing when he was hanging from those chains. It wasn't that bad actually. The atomosphere around us had been light and joking, inspite of our serious new circumstances.

At almost the drop of a pin though, Zim's eyes were iced and hard once again. The tense emotions returned and any evidence that he had ever smiled was gone.

" We should get going." He said harshly, " It's not good to stay in one spot for too long, especially not here."

Without looking back to see if I had followed, he carefully opened the door and peered out into the hall. He vaguely motioned me foreword, tense as ever, deciding that the coast was clear.

The change in his attitude annoyed me to no end. If he was going to treat me one way, then he needed to keep treating me that way and not change the rules in the middle of the game. Zim was a dirty lying cheater and there was nothing I could do but follow and hope that I wasn't being lead into a trap.

Zim turned out into the hall and shutting the door behind me I followed. He threw just one glance at me before taking off.

" There isn't much time," He said, unblinking and unfeeling, "We'll have to hurry."

Before I knew it, he was running off, and somehow…

Somehow, I found myself running right behind him.

(A/N: Thanks for all of the excellent reviews! This one's here a little later than I expected, with skool trying to take over my life and whatnot. So please R&R and I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible. : ) )


	9. Shatter

Against my better judgment, I followed Zim into the depths of the ship. After several minutes inched by, I had begun to think I would have found Dib faster without his help. Even worse, I began to wonder if Dib would be dead before we got to him.

I could easily blame Zim. I could say that he hadn't gotten there fast enough or that he had gotten us lost or that this was all his fault in the first place.

No matter how much blame I placed on Zim though, it didn't erase the fact that it would be my fault entirely. Zim was right. I never should have left him alone in there.

Sometimes I felt like I was the older sister and that he was more of a younger brother to me. He always followed me around like I was some kind of role model and he was some kind of baby animal. It's been that way ever since we were little kids. He would always look to me when he had problems. I guess I was the only one he could ever go to. Maybe if Mom were still alive he'd be closer to her.

It wasn't fair though. It wasn't fair of him to do that to me. He was supposed to be the one with the world on his shoulders. He's the one that was supposed to be _my_ hero. He's the one that was supposed to be Superman. He's the older one who was supposed to know what to do or what to say. He wasn't supposed to be bent and broken the way he was. He wasn't supposed to fall apart.

He…he was supposed to be my big brother.

I couldn't think about that though; I couldn't make myself vulnerable. Besides, there was no need to dwell on things that would never change, anyway.

Our surroundings gradually changed. The numerous doors had transformed into vents and the floor had become a flimsy metal board that wove tiny holes beneath my feet. It reminded me almost of the boiler room back at skool. We were enclosed in a strange sort of narrow hallway bridge held up only by the ceiling that passed over a rather large room below. If I put my arms out straight, my fingers would touch the walls.

I could feel rising steam make the air on the back of my neck stand on end. Without a glance behind him, Zim warned me not to look down.

Pfft. As though I would be scared of heights. Tempting fate to smite me as it may, I glanced through the floor.

Smite me it did; it smote me with the force of a lead brick. My knees buckled beneath me but my feet were planted firmly on the floor. My hands caught the walls in a desperate effort to keep from falling. The platform we stood on shook and I was vaguely aware of Zim turning back to me.

There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. It was hard to tell just how many when they all looked the same. Maybe they had different colored skin or maybe they had a few extra arms, but really they were all identical. The blood smeared the wall in the same way and all of the screams and cries sounded identical.

It was like a horrible car crash in that way. The flaming wreckage was frightening but you couldn't pull your eyes away as they pulled out the mangled bodies.

There were demons and monsters surrounding them, enveloped in shadows and darkness. With each slice of a sword or crunch of a bone another dream was broken and another one had fallen.

It was a sea of blood and gore and pain and each wave sailed up to my ears before crashing back down. I could feel myself shaking as I struggled to look away.

I was brought back down to reality by a forceful shaking of my shoulders and Zim screaming my name. I could hear my breath trying to catch up with my heartbeat.

Zim let out an angry cry of frustration.

" I TOLD you not to look down!" He growled, " I KNEW your human nerves were too feeble for this."

There was a silence between us that somehow drowned out the helpless screams of the less fortunate.

" There are so many of them…" I found myself saying softly.

" It's to be expected." Zim explained, " After all, we _are_ in the middle of Impending Doom II."

So that was it. These were P.O.W.s, prisoners of war taken trying to defend their own planets and were being tortured to death for their heroism. It wouldn't have concerned me as much if Dib weren't constantly trying to save the Earth.

Any one of those aliens could be Dib. Any one of those corpses thrown against the wall could be his. Or his body could even be mangled beyond belief, smeared across the floor.

This wasn't something I needed to be thinking about. It would just make me even more nervous and vulnerable.

Still I needed to know. So I forced myself to ask.

" Zim…?" I called out weakly.

He had abandoned me only moments before. He was peering out of the vents in the walls. His fingers poked their way through the slots as he watched the carnage below us with unwavering eyes. It was impossible to tell whether he enjoyed this spectacle, but he certainly wasn't bothered by it.

For the first time, it occurred to me that the Irkens were a force to be reckoned with. Even if Zim was incompetent and unable to invade Earth, this torture was a normal occurrence. Pain and misery of others must have been such a common thing that it must have made them lose any kind of conscience they may have had. It must have been so easy for their army to go to planets and thrash them all one by one when there was no guilt at all.

Zim's eyes were locked on the madness that lay below us, the carnage and murder that he must have seen so often in his past. I wondered how much of it he had caused himself.

I didn't feel bad for him. I was far too concerned with something else on my mind.

" Zim?" I tried again.

I could hear my voice quiver involuntarily. I was still shaky, but for a different reason. I propped myself up against the wall so I wouldn't slink down to the floor.

Zim didn't even turn my way. There was no concern for me at all, not that I would have wanted it then.

" Why are we here Zim?" I cried out desperately to him, needing an answer, " Why did you bring me here?"

I knew the answer. There was no doubt in my mind why we were here. I needed Zim to say it though. I needed him to prove me wrong. I needed to be wrong again.

" Because Dib-sister," He sighed deeply, still not looking away from the demons below us, " If your brother was caught…he's more than likely here."

I cried. It was a strange sensation, because I almost never cry. I can't even remember the last time I cried before that. My first instinct was usually to beat down whoever wronged me in anyway that I could.

No one had wronged me then. I had wronged Dib. This was all my fault. If had I never left him he wouldn't be down…down _there_. If I had taken him with me we would probably be gone by now.

" Don't…don't say that…" I whispered stubbornly to the ground as I fell on my knees, " Sh…shut up! Don't…don't say that."

I wanted Zim to laugh then and take back his cruel untrue words. I wanted him to tell me that Dib was alive back at home. I wanted him to do so many things. It was a strange sensation, both wanting to snap someone's neck in two and wanting them to comfort you somehow.

I finally decided I didn't want him to comfort me. Anger and despair surged through my veins and I wanted to stand and shove Zim through the vents in the wall.

" Be quiet Earth-girl," Zim said, trying to hush me, " Did it ever occur to you that he might still be _alive_?"

Honestly, it hadn't. The blood bath occurring below us seemed to be so unsurvivable that I had assumed he was dead already and that we had come too late.

Zim continued to observe the chaos beneath us under his watchful eyes. His motives suddenly slammed into me without him even saying a word.

He was looking for Dib.

I suddenly felt very foolish. In my blur of worry, I had wondered if maybe he had brought me here to betray me and throw me down to the demons. I thought he wouldn't have been able to help me at all and then he was the one who wound up searching. Perhaps I had inherited paranoia from my stupid brother. I couldn't even bring myself to look down. I shut my eyes, I looked at the ceiling, anything to make that screaming go away.

I always thought I would be able to handle real life gore if I ever saw it. After all, I slayed vampire piggies daily and enjoyed watching movies where cows get eaten alive. There was something different about this though. Whether it was the knowledge that these were real creatures or the fact that I could smell the blood on their dying hands, I'm still not sure. There was something there though that made it all the more horrifying.

All I found myself able to do was wait while Zim searched for my brother. I could only stand aside. I had never felt as useless and pathetic as I did in that moment.

Somehow, I expected Zim to ridicule me. I was waiting patiently for him to spit out insults in my direction. He didn't though. He was focused and calm.

I was sort of jealous of that in a way.

The clang of metal sent shivers up my spine and Zim's antennae perked to attention. The sound rang over and over in our ears, both familiar and frightening.

Someone was coming for us.

I sprang to my feet, trying to block the mind-blowing screams of pain and torment from my ears as much as possible. Peering down the way we had come, I was astonished to find my shadow within a circle of light.

Swerving around I was blinded by the bright gleam of a flashlight. Slowly, the flashlight was pulled away and another Irken was revealed behind it. It towered over us by at least a foot and a half and its green skin was pale and sickly, possibly from lurking these dim chambers. It looked at us quizzically before speaking up.

" Who are you?" It asked in a suspicious tone, " What are you doing here?"

I was about to try and make up an excuse for myself when I felt Zim's gloved hand cover my mouth.

" This is Gaz." He explained, standing behind me and gripping my shoulder lightly, " She's transferring from a different unit and I decided to be kind and show her around."

Zim was being a little too kind for comfort in my opinion, but there was nothing I could to but wish his hands off of me. As to not draw suspicion, the hand on my mouth slowly moved down to my other shoulder.

The guard still looked very skeptical. He glanced from me to Zim and back to me again.

" And what unit were you working in before?" He asked, suspicious tones still ever present.

I had no idea. Thankfully, Zim answered for me again.

" The waste disposal unit on Conventia." He said clear and calm.

At first I was furious. _Waste disposal unit_? Couldn't he have thought of something…anything better than that?

" Well that explains why she's here…" The guard mused, " …but that still doesn't explain you. What are you doing up here? This is a restricted zone!"

I felt Zim's hands clamp just a little tighter onto my shoulders, probably out of nervousness.

" I'm…Zag." Zim said, taking a dangerous pause, " I'm also in the waste disposal unit."

The guard moved closer to us and my first reaction was to step back. Zim held me steady though. Bending down, the guard stared me eye to eye.

" She's very _small_." He observed, " Almost as small as that Zim guy The Tallests locked away. And she's…she looks ill. And what are these _deformities_ on her face?"

Zim began to answer for me but the guard stopped him.

" She's got a voice, doesn't she?" He said harshly, " Let her talk."

I was quiet for several moments, enough to make Zim slightly nervous. Finally, I took a deep breath and blurted out an excuse for my "deformed" exterior.

" It's a skin condition, all right?" I snapped at the guard, " I'm not exactly _proud_ of it either…"

Feeling proud of my performance I stared back at the guard waiting for some kind of surprise that I would take as my bravo.

Indeed, the guard was surprised. He stepped away from me, perhaps wondering where the sudden spunk had come from. Gazing down at me, he shook his head. I must have been really getting into my roll because I couldn't help but want to hit him.

" No wonder she was sent to work here." The Guard sighed.

" I know. It's a real shame." Zim agreed.

" Well, have a good night you two." He said, bowing his way out, " Or at least as good a night as one can have working _here_."

As the guard made his way passed us we didn't dare move. We didn't budge until the guard's clanging footsteps could no longer be heard.

Roughly, Zim shoved me away from him, shuddering. I backed away as well, rubbing my hands over my shoulders as though this would somehow erase the feel of Zim's gloved hands.

Somehow the encounter had helped to take my mind off of my surroundings just a little, enough to get me oriented anyway. The scent of blood and torn flesh had faded and the roaring screams and cries had become merely a low rumble, a shadow of what it had been earlier.

Zim still held a look of pure disgust, probably for having to hold me for that long. He refused to look my way as he snapped at me.

" This will _never_ be spoken of. Understand, stinkbeast?" He said.

" Yeah, I hear you…" I said, mentally agreeing with him.

…Though it would have been fun to tease Dib about it. He probably would have gone into convulsions on the floor and spazz out about how I shouldn't let Zim two feet near me.

I could tell I was starting to feel better.

Before I could say anything more to Zim, he was gone and searching for Dib once again. I wondered why he was so persistent. After all, they were mortal enemies. Shouldn't he be the one shoving him into this torture chamber?

Then again…Zim had mentioned that Dib tried to save him. Perhaps his solider-like attitude on life wouldn't let that go.

If Zim found Dib's corpse down there among the bloodied scraps and hellish demons, would it break that icy calm on his face?

Somehow, I found myself standing beside him. With his eyes glued to the scene below us, he didn't notice my presence. I forced myself to look down as well.

We stood there for several moments, side by side, neither of us saying a word. The silence was calm, but seemed to cover up most of the roars beneath us.

Finally without so much as a glance in my direction, Zim sent me away.

" It doesn't make sense or us both to search on this side," He said, " You should look on the other side."

I was offended, but I let the ice slide as I nodded and retreated. I don't know if he looked back at me from where he stood, and I don't know if he felt any remorse. I refused to let myself care though.

After all, it was only Zim.

(A/N: Thank you once again for all the great reviews! Also, thanks for being so patient about the updates. I _really_ am going to get the next chapter up sooner this time. _Really_. So anyway, please R&R and I'll get the next chapter up ASAP! : ) )


	10. Sadist

It was extremely hard to continue my search for Dib. If I gazed down into the hellish chamber for too long I found myself gagging and turning away. Since I could only look for a few minutes at a time I was really useless to the search. It was irritating knowing that Zim was the one doing the most.

Thankfully I wasn't the first to find my brother. I'm not sure if I would have been able to handle it if I had.

It was a tiny sound, soft and shaken slightly. It echoed off of the metal walls and rang down into the sea of screams below us. Though barely auidable it stood out amongst everything else around us. It was deafening.

" I…I found him…" Zim whispered under his breath.

I turned around slowly, afraid to look, afraid to see, afraid of what I might find…afraid of what may have become of Dib.

Zim's fingers clenched the vents tightly and his eyes were wide. He didn't turn toward me, even as my feet clanked evenly against the metal floor as I crossed over toward him. His gaze was transfixed on the events below.

No…one event below.

I stood next to Zim, peering out through the vents and trying to see if I could find Dib before he showed me. Then again it had taken Zim a long time to find him as well, even with his so-called "superior eyes". Zim extended one finger through the vent and into Dib's general direction.

" There." He said, calm and composed.

My eyes followed past his digit and down toward the ground. I forced myself to keep staring down, even as the screams and the various smells of blood returned to me once more. I didn't feel like I could look at each individual face, twisted and contorted as they writhed in pain. I had to though. I had to search each of those faces to find the only important one. It took me several moments, since there were so many victims along the way. I finally found him though.

Yeah…I found him.

Even from a great distance I could tell. It was him. His hair and clothes were matted with blood. His coat was torn and from what I could tell the rest of his clothes were too. He looked almost exactly the way I'd found him on that night one week before.

Dib wasn't alone though, much to my horror.

His companion loomed over him with a maddening grin on his face. His arms were crossed behind his back and his long black coat swept around him in gravity defying, menacing swirls. Any eyes he may have had were hidden by the shadow his long brimmed black hat cast upon his face. Thick red blood coated him in splashes; blood that I knew came from Dib.

With a sharp swish the air where Dib had been only moments before was sliced thin by long, sharp knives where the creature's fingers should have been. Dib had scattered just in time to hide behind a rock.

Helplessly they scrambled in circles, the same pattern over and over. The creature would strike and Dib would dodge. Rocks were sliced thin as paper and bloodied dust arose around them. There was a shrill, high-pitched noise that could only be defined as maniacal laughter, accompanied by terrified screams.

I stumbled backwards a little bit, only just barely saving myself from falling. Even so, I could still see Dib. Him and his tormentor ran circles around each other as I stared down at them between my feet.

Everything I had feared came alive in that one moment. Dib was running for his life and I could do nothing but watch in horror and let it happen.

Somehow the creature chasing him seemed especially frightening, like a villain out of a slasher film gone horribly wrong. I could have sworn I felt the air freeze around us each time he swung his iron claws.

" What…what is that creature?" I heard myself ask from somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

" I'm not sure." Zim answered nearby, " Most Irkens just call it Shing, because of the sound its claws make."

I watched as this "Shing" nearly took off my brother's head for what seemed like the hundredth time. I struggled to stand upright as Zim continued.

" The thing that makes Shing especially frightening is that it appears in a different form to everyone. What you see is different from what I or your brother sees." He explained.

That calmed me down, but only slightly. The creature was only trying to scare me. It was a little odd that it appeared as a slasher, since I hadn't _really_ been scared by a horror movie in years.

" Heh." Zim mused, " He looks different today."

A statement like that was begging to be questioned. Somehow though, I couldn't bring myself to ask. There were some things that needed to remain secret and I doubted if he would appreciate my inquiry.

It took several moments for the initial shock of the moment to die down. Once it subsided, I stood tall and peered through the vents once more. The situation hadn't changed but in a way that was a good thing. I could have seen a torn and mangled corpse instead of a frightened child.

" So…" I began, " How do we get down there?"

I smiled inwardly as Zim snapped his head towards me. The shocked look on his face said it all. One hand still tightly clutched the wall as he turned to face me.

" Have your brainmeats **_completely_** exploded in your head?" He hissed at me, " You'd be sliced into thin strips and roasted into crispies before you could even scream!"

I had no idea what a crispy was. I wasn't entirely sure I _wanted_ to know what a crispy was.

Gazing back through the vents in the wall I watched over Dib, just like I should have from the start. He had stopped only for a moment to catch his breath. Shing was nowhere in sight, but that wouldn't last long. He was probably off terrifying another captive, someone more interesting than my brother.

Dib fell to his knees, clutching his chest. His breathing appeared hard and rough and jagged, as though his chest was being crushed into pieces by an invisible hand. Blood twirled down his long spiked hair and dripped onto his coat. Wincing in pain he looked up at the ceiling, to someplace higher.

He was always doing things like that.

Somehow, in the midst of the dust and destruction, past the steam and through the fog his eyes found mine. Though since I was peering out a tiny vent with crimson shaded eyes, I doubt he knew it was me.

Still the look he shined back at me was unforgettable. His mouth was open wide in a smile and his eyes were filled with desperate hope and fear. It didn't really matter who was up here to him, I suppose. As long as there was someone to take him away…as long as there was someone there to save him from that hell. Someone to save him from his daily hells and someone to be his hero.

I wanted to step away. I didn't want to be his hero. I didn't want him to see me, yet at the same time I wanted to scream his name out at the top of my lungs and reveal myself.

Before could even decide what I wanted Dib was knocked over. Shing had returned once more and had backhanded Dib so hard he fell to the ground. The vicious cycle began once again swinging and striking and running and hiding.

A rush of emotion crashed over me in a wave. It was a mixture of anger and hope and things unknown. Whatever that feeling was, it surged with each slice of air and each cry from Dib. My fingers twitched, clutching the vents until my pale digits became a ghostly white. Taking a deep breath and without turning, I gave Zim my answer.

" I don't care," I said, a fierce intensity burning through me, " We need to get down there."

Zim still seemed shocked when I finally met his gaze. Maybe it was because I was insane enough to press on, or maybe it was the fact that I had said "we" which sealed his doom as well.

He brushed a gloved hand carefully over his antennae, flattening them to his skull for a moment. He seemed puzzled by something. Of course I knew that something was me. It always was after all.

" You humans are so…strange," Zim searched his mind for the right word. " You do things that make no sense at all, like throw yourself in the line of fire for the sake of another…I don't think I'll ever understand it."

" Well…you _are_ trying to take over Earth," I pointed out, " You're not _supposed_ to care about us or whether we destroy ourselves, remember?"

Zim chuckled softly to himself, which I must admit annoyed me. Somehow it seemed like he wasn't taking me seriously at all.

" Well…I suppose that's true," He mused.

I hated it when Zim talked that way. There was something that wasn't right about it at all. It was too serious and dark to be Zim. It was like he was dangling a small thread of information in front of my face, inches from my nose, and then pulling away at the last second, keeping it for himself. It wasn't like him at all. He was always horrible at keeping secrets and always wound up blabbing his plans before they were executed.

Zim pulled way from the wall and began to walk off in the direction of dark unknown on the other end of the platform, beckoning me to follow. Reluctantly I obeyed and my feet clanked on the metal floor with each hating step.

When he stopped suddenly I crashed into him, stumbling just a bit. Zim took no notice though and turned to a small door in the wall. It really was incredibly short; I doubted if my dad could have fit through it walking on his knees.

" Only the shortest of the short are condemned to lives like this," Zim informed me, " No one will suspect us if they see us down there. They'll just think we're part of the clean up committee."

I really didn't like the thought of having to clean up the blood and gore of slaughtered captives, but I reminded myself that we weren't _actually_ going to do that.

" Come on," He called to me as he opened the door.

Almost immediately steam rolled out from all sides of the door. Peering around Zim I found that the stairs were metal and spiraled down forever, reaching into the depths of hell.

" Watch your feet steppings," Zim warned me, glancing over his shoulder at me, " These aren't stairs you want to be falling down."

There was no need for either of us to crouch since we were both so short. Just getting down the stairs themselves was a difficult task for they were steep and there was no handrail to guide us. Slowly though, we scaled down them like clichéd lambs to the slaughter.

When we finally reached the bottom light shone on us, temporarily covering my eyes and hiding me from the reality of the situation. The bright sunshine I was so certain I had felt and hated was only the glow of fierce flames.

Pits of fire were scattered about everywhere and hot steam shot from pipes that sprouted from the ground and walls. I watched as workers in Irken uniform tossed carnage into the flames. Heavy thick purple smoke that was more than likely toxic spewed from the fire as it swallowed one of many corpses. The cloud flew all the way up to the ceiling, which seemed much further away than it had before.

Of course this was all fine to watch from the bottom of the stairwell, but as soon as I stepped inside the deathly warm room I was overcome once more. The sights, the scent, the screams; they all hit at once, amplified by the heat. They ensnared me; they choked me and made me stumble.

My hand was grabbed just as I was about to fall. Zim, who I refuse to name as my savior, pulled me up and to my feet. I brushed myself off without even a thank you and he turned away, for this was another moment that would mutually never be spoken of again.

It was difficult to focus when I was coughing from a combination of toxic fumes and the sickening scent of blood, dirt, and death. I felt sick to my stomach and was suddenly glad I hadn't eaten. Everything was much more intense down among the chaos.

Somehow though, I managed to press on. With one hand placed over my mouth I weaved through the sea of torment and destruction. No one paid any mind to me. I guess they all assumed I was part of their precious waste disposal unit. I didn't know what anyone assumed of Zim however. He had disappeared somewhere, lost from my eyes. Perhaps he had drowned in that bloody sea.

It really didn't matter to me whether Zim was torn apart or not. He was the reason we were stuck up in this ship in the first place. He had suited his one and only purpose--bringing me to Dib. If he died now it wouldn't matter. Not really.

Or maybe that was my inner sadist, hoping for death destruction and pain of others to always reign supreme. I couldn't help but wonder where she was right then though as I waded through blood puddles and carefully stepped around mangled bodies. I really could have used her help in that moment as I stepped in something gooey. I don't think I _want_ to know what it was.

Finally, after stomping on far too many still chests to count, I discovered Dib hiding behind a rock, curled into a ball on the ground. He was shaking and one his glasses' lenses was cracked. Specks of blood sprinkled his clothes and they were torn very badly. Cuts littered his tiny frame and his big head and he whimpered softly like a child.

I had no time for sympathy however. I only had time for get up and go. I picked him up harshly by his collar and brought his face to mine. Of course his first reaction was struggle and screaming. He paused suddenly once he saw who had lifted him up.

At first I couldn't think of what would make him stop like that. Slowly he brought a shaky hand to my face, almost too close. I winced as he carefully peeled off one of my false eyes. I had gotten so used to them I had forgotten I had them on in the first place. My disguise began falling to the ground piece by piece by Dib's hand until I was left with nothing but the uniform and the long distance between us.

With a touch of childish curiosity, Dib reached up to my new pointy hair and poked it in just the right way. I could feel it tumble down in knotted sheets but I didn't turn to look. Infact my eyes never left Dib, who stared back at me with a look full of not fear and insanity, but recognition.

" …Gaz…" He said softly under his breath.

I don't think I had even been happier to hear my name.

Suddenly that fear in his eyes had returned as he gasped and looked beyond me. Puzzled, I turned around only to find the reason for all of this agony.

Shing loomed over the two of us menacingly; ready to strike at any moment. Dib clung to me and I suddenly felt as though these would be our last moments and that we were about to be brutally sliced apart. Shing laughed low and loud, echoing off of every wall. Even this close to him, his eyes were still hidden in shadows. It made me wonder vaguely if he had any at all.

I guess people think about strange things when they're about to die.

For some reason though, that final blow never came to us. Both Dib and me looked up at our tormentor curiously, wondering why he hadn't killed us yet. Shing had turned away to face something else. That something was suspended by giant metal spider legs and looming in our general direction.

That something…was Zim.

Wordlessly through hand motions he told me to take Dib and leave, NOW. I didn't argue, didn't question him at all. I just took Dib's hand and forced him to his feet.

" Come on you _worm_!" He taunted the beast, " Why don't you try something just a little more challenging than those stupid Earth creatures?"

Shing let out a low growl and slunk over to Zim and away from us completely. Brandishing his scythe like claws he seemed to grow almost. He stretched and contorted until he was almost as high up as Zim, even higher actually. It seemed like he didn't have a spine, or maybe he had the spine of a snake.

The creature let out a horrible screeching noise and lunged forward in a fluid way, almost like a roller coaster car crashing down. Zim seamlessly jumped out of the way, but almost lost his balance when he landed on his metallic additions.

It didn't take an idiot to figure out that Zim was not a fighter. He wasn't very physically strong and he wasn't exactly an intelligent space being. Those combined, it was amazing he fought so long against Shing.

It did provide a great escape opportunity though. I tugged on Dib's arm harshly.

" Come on Dib," I said, " We have to get your crazy behind back home."

Dib wouldn't budge though. He was shaking where he stood watching the battle. His voice quivered and it bled fear, anxiety and worry as Zim and Shing fell into a graceful pattern of attack dodge and repeat.

" No…no Zim…Dad…" He whispered soft broken words.

Dad? That one stopped me for a moment or so. Why would he bring up Dad? Dad didn't care about us very much. Only enough to take us out to dinner once a year and enough for him to call us roommates. Despite this, Dib could still hold a small bit of admiration for our father and looked forward to seeing him and standing beside him. Of course Dad thought Dib was crazy, what with all of his "aliens" and paranormal junk. It was amazing Dib didn't seem to harbor any hate for the man at all.

Of course…I could be wrong again.

I followed Dib's gaze to the battle. I watched every time Shing's long coat swerved and every time he extended his claws. Suddenly Zim's words rang in my ears once again.

__

" The thing that makes Shing especially frightening is that it appears in a different form to everyone. What you see is different from what I or your brother sees."

That was it. I could suddenly see in my mind exactly how Shing's coat could be painted white and how his thick and filthy blonde locks could be pulled into one long black spike.

Dib wasn't seeing some serial killer or some being from outer space. It wasn't some kid from skool or some kind of monster. He saw Dad looming before him, telling him all about broken dreams that will never come true with each slash.

" ZIM! DAD!" He shouted out, shutting his eyes tightly so he wouldn't have to watch.

It must have hurt him to have one of the only people he deludedly thought cared at all slam him to the ground. It must have hurt to endure his constant sighs and wishes of a saner child.

It must not have occurred to me until that moment that this battle had been going on longer than it seemed.

" JUST GO!" Zim screamed out at us as Shing sliced him once more.

He would probably die there. It still didn't really matter very much to me.

I had become very impatient over the course of seconds. Zim wouldn't be able to stand this very much longer. We didn't have time to stop and stare.

" Come on Dib! That's NOT Dad and we have to go. NOW." I tugged on my brother's arm as hard as I could, ripping his sleeve just a little more.

I'm not sure how long he stood there, wide eyed at the two aliens fighting before him. Every move; every jump and slash was carefully monitored from behind his crooked frames. Luckily, it wasn't long enough to get us killed. Slowly he forced his eyes away from the battle and we ran together.

Dib's concentration amazed me. He was able to maneuver quickly through the carnage without so much as a gag. However, his eyes were filled with panic as they darted around, looking for the door.

I searched as well, but the exit was nowhere in sight. It seemed impossible that we would be trapped there, considering that I had gotten inside in the first place. There had to be a way out.

Everything was so blurred and faded as we ran in circles searching for a way to escape this hellish pit. There was nothing around us but panic and fear and it cradled us, trying to make us stop just for a moment, just long enough for it to wrap it's hands around our throats and seal our fate.

Suddenly there was a sound--a horrible grinding sound that could have shattered a diamond. It was like a thousand clocks that had grown rusty and creaked with each passing second. Together we looked towards the non-existent sky to see if this strange new discovery would prove to be our salvation or our destruction. Judging solely on the horrifying aura the noise held, salvation seemed unlikely.

I guess it just wasn't our day.

Above our heads, high up at the platform hall, there was movement. I watched as a panel on the side slid up and into the ceiling, revealing two regal figures standing behind a glass wall. They were nearly identical, save their colors. One wore dark red regal robes and the other was dressed in royal purple. Their eyes matched their costumes (or rather, their costumes matched their eyes) and they were both…extremely tall. There was something familiar about them, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. By the looks on their twin faces, they were pretty annoyed by what they were witnessing.

Carefully, the one in purple reached to the ceiling and pulled down a small microphone for them to share. Clearing his throat to test it, he took a deep breath. His next few words rang out through the entire ship it seemed. Clear and dominating they were, yet at the same time they were confused and irked.

" WHAT on IRK is going ON HERE?" He shrieked in an extremely fearsome way.

Anyone walkng by would have never known of the chaos below. All sounds, all movement…everything stopped with those echoing words. Every creature whether tortured or torturing, battered or broken or standing tall and proud gazed up at these figures. Even Zim and Shing who had been locked in a heated battle turned their heads at their superior's voice.

Even Dib and I found ourselves staring at these two Irkens. My face was hard as stone, but I felt something simmering deep within me. It wasn't my usual rage or anger. I knew this feeling though--dread.

I felt it as soon as the red clad Irken turned his head toward me and flashed a sadist's smile at my eyes. We had been found out. There was no disguise left to hide behind and there was nothing left we could do.

To be honest though…I was surprised we had even made it this far. That considered, we weren't doing that badly at all.

With nowhere left to hide I stood up straight to face my impending doom. There had been no escape left for us to run to, thus we stared up and waited to be condemned to hell once more.

(A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! You know…it seems like every time I say I'm going to get the next chapter up sooner, the wait gets longer. Heh heh…so…yeah. Unfortionately life enjoys complicating things for me. --; Please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon! : ) )


	11. Shining

Things remained silent for an eternity. Time was at a standstill as the tall Irkens above gazed down upon us, almost as though they were inspecting each and every one of us. I didn't want to think about what would be done to someone not paying the strictest attention. For my own safety and Dib's I stood tall and stared straight up, not shwing the least bit of fear.

I watched as the Irken dressed in purple garments passed the microphone over with a lazy brush of his claw to the other one. The red Irken snatched it right away and began a long-winded speech of utmost importance.

…Well not to me. I only pretended to care. Dib was all ears however.

" Yes. Thank you." He waved ceremoniously to his crowd, as though he were Miss America or an unimportant official in a parade, " First of all, we'd like to inform you that one of our most securely guarded prisoners has escaped."

It didn't take long for every set of eyes in the room to find Zim. Even Dib and me set our glares on him. After all, we wouldn't be up here if it hadn't been for him. Zim desperately glared at an innocent alien in another's cluthces who was gasping for air.

" Yeah Zim, you." The red Irken sighed before addressing his public again, " Secondly, it seems that he had an accomplice…an _alien_ girl from his planet of conquest."

There was something about him. Maybe it was his tone or the way he held himself so high, but it was something all right. He was so over-confident and so cocky…and so like Zim in many arenas. The thing that really separated these two though was that one was obviously more competent than the other. Combined with the other elements he could prove to be a very dangerous enemy.

" My Almighty Tallests Red," Zim began, wiggling his antennae in an odd fashion at each of them, " and Purple, I beg your pardon-"

" You should really be begging for a lot more than that Zim," Purple scolded.

" You realize that this isn't just your usual stupidness, right?" Red explained loudly, broadcasting this moment of weakness for all to hear, " Zim…this is treason. This is a _serious_ crime."

There was an edgy silence in the room. I watched as Zim's eyes faded and shut for several seconds. His antennae twitched uncomfortably and shame might as well have been written across his forehead in marker. The entire room had their eyes on him, weighing him down.

" But…sirs…" He said, his loud voice shaking, " That…that is _not_ what I was imprisoned for, correct? I…I had no means of contact at all…"

" Yes Zim, _originally_ you were imprisoned for breaking our brand new 'Don't call us we'll call you' code…for the fifth time in two days," Red said, an eye narrowing at the memory, " and then you blew up the experiment you had been trying to show us…for the fifth time in two days. We've already explained that we can't have someone like you in the _military_. …Quite honestly you're a menace to Irken society in general."

" …But that's besides the point!" Purple interjected, " No invader is to _ever_ side with the enemy. There were reports from your captor saying that there was a human trying to distract him so that _you_ could escape."

The Tallests looked absolutely delighted that Zim had screwed up on this level. Their mutual look of glee was enough to make someone's insides twist around. There was something not right about it. It was wrong somehow.

" Zim, you know the punishment for betrayal to the Irken army," Red stated.

" I WOULD **NEVER **BETRAY THE IRKEN ARMY!" Zim shouted in desperate rage, " I don't know where you received your information but it is INCORRECT."

Purple blinked in confusion.

" Uh…Zim?" He said, " We said we found out from your captor."

As always, Zim ignored any contradictory comments. Zim was enraged, making fists and angry noises.

The whole situation seemed blown out of proportion to me. Sure I had never been a militant so I wouldn't really know…and sure Zim was a little stupid…but wasn't this all a bit much? I couldn't help but breathe the tension in the air as Zim fumed silently.

" As I was saying…" Red gave Purple a pointed look for interrupting him in the first place, " You know that the punishment for betrayal…is _execution_."

That word was sweet _sweet _candy to Red. His face was twisted and contorted into a sickening grin as he spat them out.

Zim's eyes fell to the floor. There were no words said, as there were none needed.

So. Zim really _was_ going to die. I suppose that made me just a little more concerned, however Dib was out of immediate danger so I began to silently plot our escape.

Dib watched with silent eyes. I couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or just going crazy again.

The whole trip was rapidly turning out to be a big mistake. Zim wouldn't be saved and it didn't look like Dib had changed at all. If our luck didn't turn around, we would die right alongside Zim.

Heh. Maybe Dad would be the main suspect back on Earth when our bodies didn't show up.

" You know…we were actually going to just stick you on Dirt until you melted into a disgusting pile of goopy goo," Purple giggled, delighted at the thought, " but now we _actually_ have an excuse to do you in!"

If Zim had any previous ideas that his precious Tallests had _ever_ liked him at _all_, I'm sure they died with that sentence.

Red was laughing as well.

" How should we do it though?" Red asking, grinning a mile, " Should we pull his PAK off and wave it around while he twitches on the ground?"

At this there were many roars and only a select few coherent voices crying out pleas. Each one was out for Zim's Irken blood, wanting to feel it on their flesh and taste it on their lips. Even Shing let out a low demonic growl.

To all this Zim had no reaction. It was always a rare moment when he had nothing to say. Usually have some kind of crass comment or some stupid remark, but now his head was hung. Whether it was in honor or false respect for his leaders, or just shock at how the mighty have fallen, I wasn't sure.

His precious leaders were holding their sides as they roared in laughter at the thought of his demise. Zim hung almost limp from his spider legs; he had probably been killed on the inside already. He had been slowly breaking before, but this was enough to really hit home for him.

…Not that it was my concern.

" Oh…oh I know!" Purple yell loud enough so that the whole universe could hear, " We could put him in the bind chair and blow his brains out with lasers!"

Red feigned shock and utter horror.

" But Purple!" He said, " That's only for our most criminally insane prisoners."

After only a minute or two of serious staring, they burst into laughter even louder than before.

"Of all soldiers to betray us…man I never thought it'd be _Zim_." Red mused, slowly calming his chuckles.

" I know!" Purple giggled, " This has to be the happiest day of my life!"

"** YOU'RE WRONG!**"

I turned sharply to my right where Dib was standing up straight on his own. He pulled his heavily torn sleeve back up on his shoulder, glaring fiercely into the sky where the Tallests hung proud like gods. Quite honestly, Dib looked like he was going to kill someone.

When I turned every single eye in the room followed me, wondering who dared to speak out against their gods. Even The Tallests shot him a curious glance. I however, was shocked.

The unstable little boy that had been leaning on me moments ago had run off into the darkness. Now Dib stood facing death in the eye and wasn't even flinching at all. Something had changed in that instant. …Dib had…he had come back…

…Or maybe he had lost even more of his mind. Idiot.

That wasn't right though. There was a fiery intensity in his eyes, the kind that always appeared when he was fighting stupid Zim. It was the look that always betrayed him to Dad, turning his dreams into battle cries for sanity. It was a look that would inspire most normal people. I knew better.

It was the look he always got just before he did something stupid.

I really should have been grateful. After all, Dib wasn't _really_ crazy anymore. Unfortunately, this wasn't the place or the time for gratitude. If he did something stupid now he'd get us killed.

Then again, I could have stopped him. For some reason though, perhaps a moment of my own insanity, I let him ramble on.

" We're…_wrong_?" Red slinked towards the glass menacingly.

He carefully touched his claws against the glass, letting the sharp sound stab and slice the air around us as he scratched the surface. One antenna arched; he looked like he was going to eat Dib alive.

Dib didn't seem to mind though. He just kept pressing on for fool's gold.

Idiot.

" We are **NOT** friends with **ZIM**!" Dib yelled at the top of his lungs, " Me and Zim are **SWORN ENEMIES**! He's a threat to the Earth! He's trying to enslave humanity!"

My eyes had narrowed at the "we". I did NOT want to be caught up in Dib's stupidity.

" Zim isn't even a threat to a Minktoot," Purple retorted, delivering a low ego blow to Zim.

" Heh heh…Minktoot…" Red chuckled under his breath.

I felt just a little sorry for those Minktoot things, if only for the fact that they had such horrible names.

Dib looked frustrated. Not because it was a new discovery that Zim wasn't very strong or a very good Invader, but probably because his plans weren't working at all. Zim wasn't any safer and we weren't any closer to home.

" Besides," Purple pointed out with a grin, " if you're his enemy then why do you care whether we kill him or not?"

" Yeah if we off him, won't it be doing you a favor?" Red added, " He'll be out of your oddly pointy hair."

I had been wondering the same thing for quite sometime now. If they really hated each other so much why would they go so far for each other? It wasn't something I could understand at all. Maybe that was because I never had any close friends…but Dib and Zim weren't friends…after all friends weren't supposed to try and kill each other were they?

Shing took one of his long claws under Zim's chin and forced him to look up at the disgusting Dib thing that dared to grace his presence. Zim the disgraced, Zim the traitor, Zim the broken solider stared at my brother with wide eyes. There was no struggle and there were no words. There was just a silent and shocked awe.

Dib didn't speak for the longest time. Long enough to make me wonder if he had regressed far enough to become silent and despondent once again. Then he did a strange thing.

He grinned a wicked grin. His eyes were sparkling so bright they outshone the sun, however many millions of miles away it was.

" That just wouldn't be as much fun." Dib explained, his smile never fading, " I can't let anyone else have the joy of killing him off but me."

…I'm not entirely sure I will ever understand those two. _Ever_.

The Tallests stared at each other for several moments looking awed by his speech, or probably just pretending to be. There weren't any more snickers as they stood looking down on us.

" Y'know…why are we doing this, Red?" Purple asked, " Why are we negotiating with this tiny…_thing_…when we could just leave them all down there and let them die that way?"

" …You bring up an excellent point." Red said, looking surprised he hadn't thought of that before, " I mean…we are the Tallests. We don't have to take that from him!"

" You heard that slave drivers!" Purple shouted joyously into the microphone, " Focus all of your hurty pains on Zim…and those other two. Especially the one with the BIG HEAD."

There was a roar of approval as the side panel painfully pushed its way back down, hiding the Tallests' sadistic smiles once more. Every single predator in the room moved away from their prey and stalked towards us, scaling the walls and going up so high they touched the stars. It didn't take very long for us to be surrounded by these beasts.

Zim seemed to trip over his own mechanical legs as he fell over, trying to get away. His extra appendages were sucked back into his PAK and the three of us were forced back into each other as the nightmares creeped in closer and closer.

I turned my head sharply at Dib and glared.

" I _hate_ you." I said, meaning it. I was pretty angry that he had gotten us into yet another potentially fatal mess.

Dib didn't say a word to defend himself. He was too busy cowering in perfectly sane fear as the first monster brought its arm up to strike.

(A/N: …WOW. …Just…just WOW. Thank you VERY much for your reviews. This story has hit over 100 reviews and it is my first story ever to do so. So thank you once again! : ) So please R&R and I'll update ASAP! : ) )


	12. Survival

I'm not the easiest person in the world to scare. Infact I'm probably one of the hardest. So it was understandable that even in this desperate situation, even surrounded by horrible creatures of all kinds wanting to rip my organs out of my body…it was understandable that I could still find the desire in my cold, black heart to want to murder Dib.

Dib and Zim were shaking at the knees, not willing to listen to a word I had to say about them. Pfft. Some intergalactic warrior Zim was. I could almost feel the shivers running down their spines as I leaned against them, waiting patiently for my own doom.

My brother had already been struck. One creature had reached out separate from the rest, a creature who seemed to work as a single mass, and sliced at Dib's chest easily. Even though I wasn't looking, I could hear the blood drops striking the ground in rapid succession. Maybe _that's_ why his knees were shaking.

Shing stood out from all of the others. When I cared to turn my head he was looming over us like be were ants. He looked absolutely delighted at the thought of squishing us. He made a terrible noise then. It started soft and slow but then careened into a high-pitched shrieking laughter that pierced the hearts of millions. His arms were crossed and his claws were extended and he was almost frightening standing that way. Perhaps a mixture of that and his maniacal laughter is what finally chased shivers through me.

Or maybe it was the way he slunk over to me, the way he grinned without eyes and the way he seemed to sway back and forth, his coat gently carrying him. Maybe it was when I felt the icy sharp metal caress beneath my chin, forcing me to look into the void where his eyes should have been. Even though he lacked them I could see desire and longing. Everything about Shing screamed blood thirst. There was nothing beyond that.

There was another thing I saw in that empty void. Death. My death. If I moved Shing would slice something important and I'd bleed to death. If I didn't budge he could easily chop my head off with those razor sharp claws. It was doomed from the start. There was nothing left to be afraid of.

Of course when hope is lost is when the truly amazing things happen.

I heard it before I saw it. It was a loud CRASH BANG CLANG. It was the CHRASH BANG CLANG of metal steps, a very eerily familiar noise. Shing heard it as well. His head immediately perked, as did the heads of all the other nightmares plaguing the room. Slowly they backed away from us and peered in the direction of the disturbance.

The three of us peered over as well. Of course our view was obscured by the much taller beings around us, a realization that seemed to annoy Zim to no end.

Slowly our predators began to file out silently at first, only to chatter and howl on the stairs and in the hall above our heads. They really were rather noisy. Even Shing had abandoned us for whatever it was that laid above. When we were the only things left in the room, it began all to apparent what that was.

Salvation. _Freedom_.

The prisoners must have fled when they realized they were left alone, even if it was for only a moment or so. Anyone that couldn't make it out in the scramble was trampled. Our tormentors must have been locked away down here as well, prisoners in their own rights and eager to escape.

The room held such a different atmosphere when empty. The thick odor of death lingered upon everything, even the air. Bodies were strewn across the floor, some mangled beyond recognition, and the steam continued to rise. It was a broken battlefield after retreat. These were the losers.

" We'd better leave," Zim said harshly, regaining his composure and breaking the silence.

As I turned I finally saw the shape Dib was in. Dib had one arm draped around Zim for support and was leaning against the little green alien. He stood in a thick puddle of his own blood and seemed more pale than normal. Dib groaned and tried to stand up own his own, only to have his knees buckle.

" What is wrong with you, Dib-monkey?" Zim snapped at Dib before turning to me and echoing himself, " What is wrong with him?"

Though spoken harsh and cold, I could see the unhidden worry rising in him. I glanced from Dib to Zim to Dib again and sighed before I answered.

" He's…lost a lot of blood." I said softly.

" Blood? Why does he need this _blood_? Why is it hurting him so?" Zim spewed out questions a mile a minute.

" Humans…they need blood to live. If they don't have enough of it then…then they die," I explained awkwardly, " Dib's lost a lot of it already."

This was a problem. If Dib kept bleeding the way he was he might not survive the ride home, even if we made it out of here. How would we get him out of there anyway? He could barely stand in this condition, let alone run.

" I vaguely remember this now…" Zim said, obviously having no grasp of human biology _or_ anatomy.

I held a hand out expectantly to Zim.

" Pass him over here," I ordered.

Not looking very frightened by my statement, he carelessly shoved Dib in my direction. I caught him flawlessly, but when he leaned on me I felt my knees begin to buckle. I struggled to stand him up, just for one second. By some miracle I pulled his torn jacket off of him, fully revealing the long, blue, torn sleeves beneath. His half open eyes watched in a daze as his body wobbled in every which direction.

" Ugh…hold still!" I hissed, even though I knew it was beyond his control.

I'm certain I heard Zim walk over to us, but I guess I wasn't completely aware of it. It wasn't until I found Dib propped up with two probes under his arms that I realized he had snuck over at all. With Dib off of my shoulders it was certainly easier to wrap his jacket around his wounds. I would have simply laid him on the floor, but with each step my feet swirled the red around more and more, most of it not even belonging to Dib.

Tying it tight enough to slow and eventually stop the bleeding, but not tight enough to crush his ribs, I decided I was done. Dib really didn't look too much better though, despite the fact that he wasn't bleeding as badly.

I watched as Zim's probes shut themselves away to somewhere deep within. He caught Dib with grace as his metal spiders legs forced themselves out of his PAK. Making himself into some kind of marauder holding a fallen comrade, he cradled Dib carefully in his arms. I decided it was best to just ignore this strange behavior for now. Now wasn't the time for questions. Now was the time for escape.

" I can only carry one of you." He said, I guess in some sort of half-apology, " You'll have to run on your own. Try to keep up."

There was no time to reply as he darted off to the staircase we'd come down what seemed so long ago. It was almost funny that now, when we weren't quite as desperate to find that opening, it appeared plain as day. Of course, I ran off after them. I wasn't nearly insane enough to stay.

From behind I watched as Zim ran like a child cradling a rag doll to his chest. The spider legs didn't really increase his speed as much I had suspected, because he walked…well, like a spider. He didn't suddenly have the speed of a cheetah or anything particularly amazing. He was a little faster though, which provided some challenge for me. I'm not and never was an athlete by any means.

What I suppose was most peculiar about our escape was the lack of an elaborate chase sequence. I guess everyone was too busy trying to round up the psychopaths to worry about a couple of escaped prisoners.

As I caught up some I saw that Dib was carefully pointing Zim around, to what I assumed was the docking bay. It was shocking that he could tell the halls apart at all, since I had no idea where we were. After all, he hadn't been in a right state of mind when he had left the bay.

It also made me a little angry at Zim, because apparently he didn't really know his way around and found Dib by chance.

Unlike our long trek through the deserted halls the first time around, our trip to the docking bay was much shorter. It may have been because it was nearby or it may been that we were simply running faster. That wasn't a thought to be dwelled on though. We were there and that was all that was important. We were going to escape.

The docking bay was strangely empty. As we hurried our steps screamed our presence to the walls and I realized that it wasn't very surprising that we were alone. The entire ship was probably in mass panic, trying desperately to hide from the darkness that must have plagued every hall by now. No one had probably made it to the docking bay yet.

I suppose we were lucky we didn't run into anyone or _anything _while escaping. Children always seem to have that dumb luck quality in them somewhere.

We still had to leave quickly. If Dib's condition grew any worse out here than we might not be able to save him.

It didn't take long at all to find our tiny ship among the others. Zim retracted his spider legs and landed gracefully on the floor, even with Dib in his arms. When his eyes laid on it however, he let out an odd noise, somewhere between a groan and a sigh.

" How are we supposed to all fit in THAT?" Zim complained.

I wasn't sure to be perfectly honest. Dib and me had barely fit in it the first time around. Now with Zim with us there would be no room to move at all. I guess we really _hadn't_ planned out anything before we left.

" Deal with it," I said simply, knowing I would have to too.

Zim grumbled a little and went to go open it. Dib grabbed his arm with a slightly bloody hand to stop him. Dib was struggling against Zim's grip, reaching out for the manual lock.

" Ugh…Let me do it…" Dib demanded, even in his weak state, " It's _my_ ship."

" No way you stupid Earth pig." Zim refused, going for the lock again, " You're too weak. Besides, this isn't a very advanced vessel. I'm sure I can handle it."

I took several steps back without saying anything. This would be fun to watch.

Indeed it was, as Dib's ship screamed familiar screams of "filthy aliens" and "intruders" and the like and kicked them both away. The force was so strong that it knocked Dib out of Zim's hand completely. Dib shot Zim a look before crawling over to the ship.

Dib managed to pull himself up enough to quickly punch in the code and flip open the door. He turned back to Zim with a devilish grin, to which made Zim pretty angry. Shaking slightly, Dib hoisted himself into the puny little ship.

We should have helped him. We should have reached out a hand or two and helped him up…but we didn't. That's the way we all were I suppose.

Zim grumbled something either too soft to hear or maybe even in another langue as he climbed in after my brother. I crawled in as well, shutting the door behind me. My head was touching the ceiling; there really wasn't enough room for all of us. If we were going to all get home to Earth though, we would have to put up with it.

Of course we were cursed enough to have Dib and Zim stuck next to each other. Whatever it was that happened between them didn't keep them from going at each other's throats about stupid things.

" Your hair is POKING MY EYE OUT!" Zim yelled as he flailed about in pain.

In his crazed motion, Zim smacked me upside the head. My hands were around his throat in seconds. Dib moved to try and get his hair away from Zim's head, but he hit his head on the ceiling. He brought his arm up to rub his head, but only succeeded in elbowing Zim's forehead.

Soon we were all screaming and clawing at each other like frenzied monkeys locked in a cage too small for them. The ship teetered and tottered and creaked dangerously to the point where we thought it might collapse under our weight. We didn't care though. It was far more important to try and tear each other limb from limb.

For once, I don't think it was real anger that spawned this sudden violence between us. It was almost fun in a _really_ strange way. The lines between enemy, friend, brother, and sister were blurred in that moment and I'm sure if we were all gentler people it would have ended in fits of giggles.

The fact was that we weren't gentler people, so after a moment more of bickering we settled into our own spots. I was somehow shoved more toward the back of the cockpit, so much so that I wasn't even on the seat, but sitting on the back of Dib and Zim's spots. It was extremely uncomfortable. Having my feet jammed onto Dib and Zim's shoulders made me feel slightly better, knowing that they were miserable as well.

Dib was tense. It was obvious to anyone with or without eyes. His eyes were locked on the controls and his hands were shaking as he brought them near. It extremely peculiar, especially considered his flawless piloting skills were the reason we were there in the first place. He seemed to just freeze up entirely.

I hoped he wasn't going to regress. That would be incredibly bad timing on his part.

" Dib…" I started dangerously, " Start the ship."

There was no start though. There was no murmur of an engine running. Dib shook his head slowly, and dreadful thoughts creeped into my mind once more.

" I just did some…modifications on it last week." Dib said weakly, obviously having a small memory lapse. He'd worked on it two weeks ago; a week before this had ever occurred.

"…Your point?" I said, growing more impatient.

" I don't know if…if it will fly." He said nervous and slightly panicked, " Any number of things could go wrong…"

I wanted to kill him. He hadn't been worried at all when he took me here and it was obvious it could fly. Granted, his mind had gone to pieces…but still he flew our ship flawlessly between the stars. This was ridiculous. It seemed there was no better way to express this than by kicking him in the shoulder.

" Look, you got us here before. You can do it again," I growled at him.

Zim scoffed at Dib's nervousness. At least I wasn't the only one annoyed with my brother's stupidity that day.

" _Please_." Zim rolled his eyes, " I've been flying _and_ fixing even more complicated vessels since I was a smeet."

Dib shot a glare in Zim's direction before turning back to the control panel. I could feel it in the air, that fear of failure. One screw up could cost us everything and that fear held him by the throat.

" Somebody's going to find us if we don't hurry…" I found myself saying to no one who was listening intently.

Zim was beginning to twitch at what I assumed was the patheticness of it all. He turned to my brother with a sigh.

" Look, you're injured and you _clearly_ don't know what you're doing…" He said, " So let me pilot."

This caught Dib's attention right away. With a sharp turn of his head he snapped at Zim.

" WHAT? No! I'm going to let you drive _my_ ship!" He yelled, " No way!"

Despite Dib's performance on our trip up into space, I really would have rather had Zim drive the ship. I didn't feel like crashing into a meteor or something if he passed out on the way home. Unfortunately for me, I was cursed with a brother as stubborn as a donkey.

In less than a second Zim had his hands on the joystick. Dib of course turned and grabbed it back right away. The pained expression on his face revealed what I could have told him had I felt like it; sharp turns aren't the best idea with deep injuries.

The two of them tugged and pulled as hard as they could on the controls, each trying to pry them away from the other. Somehow in the chaos, they both lifted the ship off of the ground. From there it bobbed back and forth to the music of their squabble and sent me flying into walls. I was not a happy little girl in that moment. I kicked both of them at the same time, causing them both to cease and desist.

" Will you two cut it out?" I hissed, " If you break it there _is_ no way home. _Understand_?"

Zim and Dib slowly nodded, suddenly meeker than a moment before. In a sudden burst of energy though, Zim lifted Dib up so he was balanced next to me and slid over into the pilot's seat. Refusing to sit next to my brother, I shoved him into Zim's old spot.

" What'd you do THAT for?" He whined to Zim, coughing after.

" I told you." Zim grinned, clearly happy about his victory, " You're too weak to pilot this vessel now. _One _of us has to fly us all back to Earth. I'm the only other one who can."

Zim said this all with a sickening smile that twisted with each reason. He knew it bothered my brother and he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Dib pouted a little in his corner of the ship. It must have been a low ego blow to have his archrival driving his ship.

Then again, I really didn't really know what was going on with those two. I always thought they were enemies, but then they were out saving each other's hides. It was strange and I didn't understand it at all. It was completely beyond my realm of comprehension.

I glanced over at Zim, who seemed to be having some trouble. Really I should have known by the way the ship was jerking around in every which direction that he couldn't fly it.

" What's the matter Zim?" My brother taunted him, " Having…technical difficulties?"

Zim was looking more furious every passing second. His fists were shaking against the controls. Slowly he turned his head toward Dib in jerked motions. A hard glare said it all but Zim being Zim, he felt in needed commentary.

" …_What_ did you do…to this ship?" Zim hissed at him.

" I fixed it." Dib said, unfazed, " After all…it crashed into my backyard."

Zim still seemed pretty angry. Infact, Dib's words seemed to anger him even more.

" You FIXED nothing." Zim shouted, banging his fist on the console, " What you did was you COMPLETELY CHANGED it, there are controls here I've never even _seen_ before, much less used. How can this thing POSSIBLY fly without its Irken roots?"

" No, even though a lot of the Irken stuff bleh blah blah…" Dib blathered on about something nobody cared about with coughs inbetween from trying to talk so much.

At least I didn't care. The mechanics of the ship were not a concern of mine. My main concern was getting back home.

Zim was still writhing with rage. Dib sighed.

" You know?" Dib said, annoyingly cheerfully, " If you can't drive the ship…_I_ can…"

Dib was smirking and Zim looked like he was about to be screaming in anger. It was kind of fun to watch though, despite the fact that we were in extremely potential danger just sitting there in the ship.

" **FINE**!" Zim screeched, hating to admit his defeat.

The spark returned in Dib's eyes as he crawled across the seat, a spark that had momentarily vanished from the heavy pain. Zim was curled into a knee-hugging ball in the corner, submissive and angry. Dib just grinned in a happily sadistic way as he ceased the ship's dangerous vibrating. He was like a cruel little boy with a brand new toy that was his and no one else's, which somehow explained why no one else could use it.

It wasn't long at all before the two of them were bickering again, over something unimportant no doubt. I wasn't listening though. I was doing something far more important.

I was watching, and something in the darkest shadows outside the ship was watching me back.

There was no fear in my eyes since I'd faced far more frightening things that day than a figure in the shadows too cowardly to reveal himself. At first I thought it could have been another one of those strange nightmare creatures from the hell pit, but as I peered at it more and more its true form became clear to me. It was clear what I had to do.

Swiftly I kicked Dib in the shoulder and covered his mouth with my hand before he could scream in pain.

" You need to stop playing _right now_ and get us out of here," I hissed in his ear softly, as though the figure could hear my every word.

I released his mouth, incase he had any stupid retorts up his sleeve…which he did. After all, this _is_ Dib I'm talking about.

" _What_ are you _talking _about?" Dib asked, bewildered that I was being so fierce.

Zim knew what I was talking about. When I looked over he was staring out the window with his green face paling. His red eyes were slightly wide, but beyond that there was no other look of fear. He never took his eyes away from our guest as he spoke to Dib.

" Just go," He said, his voice not wavering for a second.

Dib turned to him and blinked. Then I think he saw it too. There was a deadpan silence that loomed around us, slaughtering the air. I don't think it was fear, but more dread that paralyzed us.

It was such a sudden impulse on Dib's part to move the ship away that I would have missed it if I had blinked. However as we floated out of our parking space, the features of our visitor were bathed in headlights.

There was an almost immediate sense of recognition for me and quite possibly Zim as well. Familiar pale green flesh and red eyes a shade lower than Zim's…it was the guard that had nearly caught us. If we didn't leave soon, the 'nearly' would be out of that equation entirely.

His uniform was torn and tattered and covered in dark liquids that I could only hope to assume it was Irken blood. If it wasn't, then I didn't want to know what it was.

Dib already managed to get us out of the prison barge entirely and away from him, but my last sight of the guard was his arm up to his face, talking into some small device. It worried me for a second…but only a second.

When Dib turned the ship to look at the prison barge one last time, nightmarish monsters could be seen chasing Irken guards in the windows. They were just a tiny bit too busy to worry about escaping prisoners. We'd be thousands of miles away before they even considered going after us.

Dib beamed, knowing he had done well.

" Did you see that?" Dib spazzed slightly, " Hm? Did you see my AWESOME piloting prowess? HUH?"

I could tell he was feeling a little better, his voice even sounding stronger than before. He was still paler than normal though and it was still a possibility that he might pass out or something on the way home. I wasn't nearly as concerned now though.

" Yes, yes it was magical…" Zim said dryly, looking like he wanted to be _anywhere_ but with us.

Dib pouted and went back to his piloting and Zim stared out at the spaces in between the stars. I stared at the ceiling, for lack of anything better to do.

I could just tell this was going to be a _fun_ trip home. If I didn't go insane in the time it took to get back to Earth, it would be a miracle.

(A/N: WOW that took a long time. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews and for being so patient with me. XD Oh, and since the third DVD is out now, I should mention that this fanfic is not in continuity with the Christmas episode. I didn't even catch it until now, but just incase anyone goes "Hey, didn't Gaz fix his ship? Can't she fly it?", I thought I'd mention it. Please R&R and I'll try to get the next chapter MUCH sooner. : ) )


	13. Surcease

The long, tedious ride home was quieter than I had expected or hoped it would be. After maybe the first hour or so, Zim and Dib's squabbling had hushed into a cool silence. The silence seemed unnatural and fierce, especially after everything that had happened to us. It was a screaming, beautiful, tearstained silence for those of us too weak to cry and too mad to go insane.

Cramped in a space too small to comfortably sit the three of us, it seemed unavoidable that we would grow sick of each other in only a matter of minutes. I certainly hadn't been looking forward to a long trip with the two of them in tow. Somehow I survived. We all did.

Dib focused all of his efforts on flying us home. I imagine it must have been difficult, considering his wounds. No one really extended a hand to help however. Zim had all but given up on piloting today.

Zim spent the trip staring out the window at the spaces between the stars. There seemed to be something on his mind, tugging his attention away from us and out into the black. The cold distance in his eyes froze the air around us. It could have been hate or despair or even just a mix of the two.

Of course I sat above them in my usual brooding way, not bothering to start conversations with them. The differences in their behavior had really begun to bother me, but I'd never let it show. That wouldn't have been like me at all.

Something had changed and I was unaware of what it was. Previously we had all worked to keep up appearances, regardless of whether it was a conscious action and whether or not we agreed with it. Dad would never suddenly come home declaring his love for us and Dib would never give up his aliens and other paranormal creatures, even if it meant fitting in with the masses at skool. Zim would try to conquer the Earth, but he'd never actually succeed. I think that deep down he may have known he had nowhere to run back to and denial is the sweetest medicine.

Me? I'd never leave my video games for anyone. That statement seemed hollow and false when thought though. I couldn't have been changing. If I was then it was their fault. It was all Zim and Dib's fault. If Dib hadn't made me come out here…if Zim hadn't been stupid enough to be captured in the first place…or maybe if I would stop pinning the blame to someone else's name.

The hum of the ship was calm and monotonous and enough to drive someone crazy. We passed nebulas and planets and shining stars and other beautiful nothings. Beautiful dreams of nothing that most humans couldn't imagine and none but us would see. Humans rarely cared about beautiful nothings. Dib always seemed to be an exception to every rule.

Occasionally he'd point and question something off in the distance, maybe to break the silence or maybe because he simply couldn't focus for too long. Zim was the only one who would pay any attention to him. I may as well have been alone watching a television.

This was the only time I saw any hint of any positive emotion in Zim's face. His features would brighten only just so as he explained the colors and swirls before us. Dib would be awestruck and Zim would grin for only a moment or so. Then something would rip that happiness away from him.

The Earth loomed in front of us, growing larger and larger as we neared. I was looking forward to a good meal, a good game of Vampire Piggy Hunter, and a chance to forget that this had ever happened.

" Go to my base," Zim ordered half-heartedly.

Dib complied without another thought. I wanted to scream at him. He wasn't supposed to do that. He was supposed to be suspicious of him, even if he was badly hurt and even if he had to force himself to focus. What was Zim doing inviting us to his base anyway? He was supposed to keep us away; we were enemies. At least, that's what I thought we were.

After a fast descent that nearly ended us all in a crash landing, we arrived. Dib gracefully avoided a fiery exploding doom and parked us carefully in Zim's front yard. Granted, he smashed some of his hideous gnomes in the process, but I think that may have done the world some good. They were horribly ugly anyway.

We all scrambled to get out of the ship at once, nearly tipping it over in the process. I was almost grateful to be back. Dib actually _was_ grateful to be back. Zim…Zim just stood and stared at us.

"…Bring him inside," Zim said, heading into his broken-down abode.

I watched him go, noticing he didn't seem to care if we followed. With an eyebrow raised I wondered what was wrong with him. This didn't really matter very much though, so I grabbed Dib by the arm and dragged him inside. Not that he had to be dragged.

Light shone at awkward angles through the mysterious holes in the ceiling and walls. It gave the room a surreal look; a look reserved for things of fantasy and make believe. That's really all it ever was.

Zim was several feet ahead, almost in the doorway of the kitchen when his antennae perked in curiosity. He turned his head in several directions; he was looking for something. What it was didn't click to me until I saw it run over and hug its master's knees.

GIR, being its sickeningly adorable self, shoved a familiar bumblebee-like doll in Zim's face. With his metallic eyes glowing red, GIR made the doll reprimand him.

" _WHAT did I tell you about running off like that?_" The metal tang in the recording echoed, " _We mustn't loose sight of the mission!_"

Zim had a look on his face that was some odd mix of shock, happiness, and despondence. Carefully, he pushed the doll away, not noticing GIR's confused stare.

" Not today GIR…just…not today," Zim sighed, brushing by his companion. " I have a lot to do and plenty of time in which to do it in. Go watch TV or something."

If GIR was sad, it didn't last very long. It bounced giddily past us over to the long-abandoned couch and turned on the television. GIR sank into the couch comfortably and fell into a dazed haze.

Zim motioned to us from the kitchen. It was just as falling apart as it had been the last time I had cared to show up here. Cupboards still hung off of hinges and there were gaping holes in the walls, not to mention overturned tables. Dib and I entered the kitchen to find Zim absently gazing upon the wreckage of a lie.

He turned to us awkwardly, pretending he had not been reminiscing even though it was obvious, and coughed to draw attention away from his strangeness. Pointing a finger over to the out-of-place toilet in the back of the room, Zim gave us soft orders.

" Load him into the elevator," He said, " You can go too if you want."

I raised an eyebrow at his strange request, but led my brother to the toilet. Dib needed no instruction to climb into the toilet and flush himself down into the depths of Zim's house. It was a really strange method of transportation, but I followed anyway. What was I supposed to do, just go home?

It was a rather slow descent into Zim's labs, irritatingly so. The elevator seemed to inch down the shaft just to grate on my nerves. Looking through the clear glass I saw wires and rooms and technology of all kinds crawling up and away from me.

Dib was waiting for me when the doors opened and let me out. Deep violet lights shone on his pale skin, tinting and tainting him. There wasn't much of a welcome greeting for me from him. It was probably because I wasn't the one he was waiting for.

Several moments dragged on by before Zim cared to grace our presence. The elevator jerked to a halt and he strode off it in a melancholy way, as opposed to his usual maniacal cockiness. There was an awkward silence between the three of us. Zim stared blankly into the purple darkness until he at last spoke.

" Oh right," He said absently. " Computer. Lights on."

Lights outshone our awkwardness, revealing the red room around us. Dib brought a hand in front of his eyes to save them from the glare of the bright lights. Once adjusted to the change in lighting, Dib looked around in awe. I guess it was a part of the base he had never been in. I wouldn't know.

I had to admit though, it was very…different. While the surrounding walls were made of that same strange red metal that coated the rest of his labs, there were two long tables that jutted out from the walls. There was a computer monitor toward the far end, overseeing everything in the room. All sorts of strange contraptions hung from the walls, the ceiling, and just…everywhere.

Zim saw no beauty in this cold metal room and neither did I. He simply pointed at one of the tables and motioned towards Dib.

" Get on," He said.

For once, Dib stopped. He paused and took a look at what he was about to do. The table itself resembled an autopsy table and who knew what those weird things hanging off of the walls were? He appeared skeptical and unsure of himself.

" How do I know you won't try anything?" Dib asked weakly, both physically and mentally. It was obvious he was going to wind up on that table regardless of whether he wanted to or not.

Zim turned slowly toward my brother and gave him a strange look. It was not that it was a particularly strange emotion, but it looked odd painted on Zim's face. It was some kind of sobriety, some sad despondence that clouded his mind.

" What reason do I have?"

It was a simple question with a simple answer. He had none. There was no reason to go after Dib, or to even _try_ taking over the Earth. It must have all been so pointless to him. Why would he want to conquer for an empire that placed him in exile? Dib looked sorry he had asked and crossed the floor, following Zim's pointed finger. There were no questions as he lifted himself up on the metal table.

Zim followed quietly. He didn't flail his arms and he didn't shout and he didn't do anything he normally would. Once at the table, he propped himself up on his metal spider legs and reach for some strange devices.

" Lay down," He said sharply.

Once again, Dib was skeptical. He laid down slowly, watching Zim with nervous eyes.

" What are you going to do to me?" He asked with slight discomfort.

Zim didn't answer. There was no expression on Zim's face as he reached carelessly above him for a strange sort of probe with a sharp needle at the end. With no remorse he thrust the device needle first into Dib's arm, not bothering to even roll up the tattered sleeves. Judging solely by how loudly he screamed, I assume it hurt him a great deal.

Red digital light flooded Zim's face and foreign symbols and strange diagrams filled the computer screen. Pressing a few buttons and turning a few knobs, the diagrams blinked and changed. There was no other real way for me to tell what was going on, seeing as the words were unreadable and the diagrams were strange. I wasn't about to ask either.

I wondered why we were down there, in Zim's lab. I wondered why we weren't home and I wondered why this wasn't all over by now.

There was a great, horrible, whirring noise as the sharp probe began to spin in Dib's arm. Whether he screamed from the pain or that shock I wasn't sure, but it was pretty funny to watch him flail about as the device did its work. Zim didn't seem very concerned either. Carefully, he pulled the probe out of Dib's arm, allowing it to stitch up the wound it had created. He also began to seal the wounds that Dib had received out in space, wounds that would take ages to heal on their own. Soon enough, Dib stopped screaming.

Almost as soon as Zim moved to return the probe to the wall, Dib jumped off of the table with a newfound strength. He searched for battle scars, but there were no longer any to be found. His face had returned to a somewhat healthy color, and he seemed even better off than he had when we first left the Earth.

He swerved around to face Zim, his hair following suit. He held a mock look of disappointment.

" Geez Zim, what did you do to me?" He whined, rubbing his arm. " And couldn't you have put me asleep for it or something?"

Zim looked up at him and gave a simple answer. There wasn't a need for much else.

" I healed you," Zim said as though it were nothing, " I used a duplication program to make a copy of your blood and I used the new sample to give you more blood."

Dib looked very surprised for good reason. His face voiced my thoughts…why would Zim bother? Why would someone who spent so long trying to destroy him try to save him?

Zim didn't look very shocked. He seemed more conflicted than anything really. It wasn't very hard to understand. After all, he was officially exiled. There was no grand mission and everything he had ever known had been a lie. On top of it all, his enemy had saved his life and he had done the same.

" Dib?" Zim asked softly, " …What are we?"

Dib stared at Zim for the longest time. I peered over at the two of them curiously. I wouldn't have minded an answer to that question as well. Dib was the only one of us who could really answer.

" I…I don't know," He said.

Zim took another pause.

" …Are we enemies?" He asked specifically.

This one seemed to stump Dib for a moment or so. If it didn't then it at least kept him quiet.

" I don't think so…" Dib's voice trailed off elsewhere.

Neither of them would look at each other. Dib's eyes were on the ground while Zim's lurked in the corners of the ceiling.

" Then…does that make us…?" Zim couldn't quite find the word for it.

" Friends?" Dib suggested with a laugh, " No."

Zim shifted back and forth on his feet. It was a truly awkward moment for everyone except me. As usual, I was an outsider to their strange little world. That's the way it always was and the way they always were and the way I assumed they always would be. They would lose themselves in their adventures and in their own way they were both victorious. Dib got to be the hero he always wanted to be and Zim was forever the villain.

I know it angers Dib when I put it that way, which may be partially the reason I do. He shouts at me that it's not a game and that innocent lives are in danger. That's really not the case though. No one was ever really in danger with any of Zim's plots because his plots were always horrible and he just wasn't very good at world conquest. Dib claims the world is blind and then he blinds himself to Zim.

Maybe we're all just blind.

" I should leave," Zim said, " I should leave this hideous ball of filth and never come back."

I wasn't fazed at all by this, but a strange sadness crossed Dib's face at those words. I leaned bored against the wall while he stood stiff and frozen to the floor by this revelation. It was a not-so-shocking one, in my mind at least.

" But…why?" Dib asked.

Zim just raised an eyebrow at Dib's sudden concern. I suppose human emotions were a thing far too complex for the Spartan Irkens.

" Why should I stay?" Zim said just a slight bit harsher than necessary, " The Tallests know where I am so I'm a dead Minktoot staying here. Besides, it's not as though I have a reason to be here any longer than I need to. There is no mission anymore."

We knew he was right. We knew that deep down, he was right. It would be better for him if he wandered around space searching for whatever he was looking for than if he remained here. The image of "Zim The Space Hobo" popped into my mind.

Still though, Dib looked like he wanted to reach out and chain him to the wall and MAKE him stay so he wouldn't be alone. That was really the truth of it all. Dib was really a strange person and so far, Zim and I seem to be the only ones that even vaguely understand his crazy antics. He really needed someone there, someone other than me. Whether "there" was trying to kill him or otherwise, it didn't matter. If Zim left Earth now, Dib would have no one.

Sometimes I absolutely loathe being a sister.

" You know, those guys…The Tallest," I spoke up to Zim, " …they seem to hate you. Why would they bother looking for you when they could just assume you blew up on your way back here or something?"

I didn't receive an answer from him, but he did perk his antennae in curiosity. I continued on with my final point.

" Besides, couldn't you just take over the world on your own time?" I pointed out, " Why do you have to be supervised by them? Just do it yourself."

Dib looked absolutely horrified with me. Absolutely, utterly, horrified. I grinned. He'd thank me later, even if I would never hear it. I guess I had a second good deed this year.

Zim was quite the opposite though. His face shifted from careful consideration to a maniacal grin. He turned to face Dib once more and shouted at him.

" Ah yes, I SHALL!" Zim laughed loud and long. " I shall take over the Earth and prove myself a true Inva…uh…WARRIOR! You'd better watch your squishy Earth meats, Dib-human because I'll…uh…DESTROY YOU! YEAH!"

Dib still had his mouth gaping open at me. Twitching for a moment or so he began to whine.

" WHAT did you do THAT for?" He shrieked. " Why did you have to go and give him ideas? Now he'll probably try and take over the world even FASTER."

Somehow his reaction made it even better. Each shake and twitch and angry noises he made me want to burst out laughing. It was an interestingly different feeling, but I had to admit it wouldn't be one that would remain constant.

" COMPUTER!" Zim shouted into the depths of his base, " Turn on your defenses! There are intruders in the base!"

The sadistic grin returned as red security lights lit our faces. I remained unconcerned as Dib began to panic under pressure.

" You'll never get away with anything, ZIM!" He cried out, " I'll always be there to stop you! ALWAYS!"

" Yes, yes that's nice," Zim said with a twirl of his hand and an uninterested look on his face.

I had recently become aware of a strange whirring noise that seemed to ooze from the walls. It grew perpetually louder and louder until it roared even over Zim and Dib's arguing. Dib curiously looked up at the walls, which had begun to shake from the noise. Zim didn't appear to be shocked at all, but a grin creeped its way onto his face.

I'll admit that I was pretty shocked when the giant wormlike tube burst through the wall and sucked us up inside. Zim's maniacal laughter echoed as we tumbled and twirled up the pipe. Dib's incessant screaming ricocheted off the walls and pierced deep within my ears, even after the initial shock had worn off. It was really rather irritating.

The strange ride eventually led to us being spewed out backwards into Zim's front yard. I managed to land gracefully on my feet, but Dib was unfortunate enough to tumble backwards through the yard and collide with a security gnome. Once again he screamed at the top of his lungs as the gnome's eyes glowed red.

By this time I was already out of Zim's yard and watching Dib run and jump around, trying to dodge the laser beams. I suppose I should have tried to help him, but it was much more fun to stand and watched. When he finally managed to escape he was just a bit frayed at the edges and steam rose from his ruined clothes.

I didn't say anything. I simply turned around and began to walk home, knowing that he would follow me. There was no need to turn around and check, it was just one of those things that simply was.

Occasionally he'd speak up about how he couldn't believe I'd say that to Zim and would babble off in that direction. He grew quiet once he realized I wasn't listening, yet again. Finally he said something worth listening to.

" …Gaz?" He said meekly, hoping I'd be listening to him, " …thanks."

I raised an eyebrow and turned around to face him. He sure looked sincere enough, but why would he break the usual order of things?

" For what?" I asked, still not really understanding why he would bother thanking me.

" For…everything really," He said thoughtfully.

It was understood by both of us as 'Thanks-for-helping-me-when-I-was-unstable-and-dragging-me-out-into-space-to-look-for-Zim'. Dib's probably continued into something along the lines of 'Zim-that-ungrateful-jerk-who's-gonna-take-over-the-Earth-ANYWAY-no-thanks-to-you-Gaz'.

" Pfft. Whatever." I brushed it off and turned up toward our house.

Dib followed me quietly into the house. It was empty and lonely and blood still stained the floor. I was willing to bet that Dad hadn't even noticed we were gone. Not that it mattered, of course.

I made my way over to the couch, where I had left my GameSlave 2 and sank into familiar patterns. I was no longer looking up at Dib, but a few minutes later I heard him thump up the stairs.

A few hours must have passed before I heard the door open. I glanced up curiously, knowing Dib hadn't left the house. When I saw Dad looming in the doorway I almost immediately returned to my game.

There were some footsteps and a pause. I'm sure that this is when he noticed the blood on the floor. He took a few more steps and then bellowed up the stairs.

" SON!" He shouted, " What did I tell you about bleeding on the carpet?"

It wasn't so much an angry yell, but one to grab his attention. I'm positive I heard Dib groan and sigh from all the way upstairs.

" But DAD…" He yelled back.

I looked up to see my dad shake his finger at Dib, who now stood at the top of the stairs, not even changed out of his torn clothes yet.

" No buts, Son!" He said, pointing over to the closet, " Now you get those cleaning supplies and you scrub this horrid mess away right now!"

Dib grumbled his way down the stairs and past Dad, who was heading to his lab. Everybody was off in their own world, just it should have been.

Ah, sweet normalcy.

(A/N: Yes folks, that was the last chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, I really meant to have it done by Halloween at least…but here it is! I'm afraid you won't see anymore from me until at least December, because I'm entering NaNoWriMo this year and I will be busy all of this month. So thank you for all of the wonderful reviews and hopefully I'll see you in December because I do have another story planned. : ). )


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